''Pitch Perfect 3'' is a 2017 American
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film
Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
directed by
Trish Sie
Patricia Mary Sie (Birth name, ''née'' Kulash) is an American film and music video director, best known for directing the films ''Step Up: All In'' (2014) and ''Pitch Perfect 3'' (2017), as well as music videos, particularly for the alternativ ...
and written by
Kay Cannon and
Mike White. It serves as the sequel to ''
Pitch Perfect 2'' (2015), and the third and final installment in the
''Pitch Perfect'' trilogy. It features
Anna Kendrick
Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. Known for playing upbeat and endearing characters in comedies and musicals, List of awards and nominations received by Anna Kendrick, her accolades include nominations for an Aca ...
,
Rebel Wilson,
Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld (born December 11, 1996) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She had her breakthrough with the western film ''True Grit (2010 film), True Grit'' (2010), which earned her List of awards and nominations received by H ...
,
Brittany Snow
Brittany Anne Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American actress. She came to prominence for her role in the CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light'' (1998–2001), for which she won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress and was nominated for two o ...
,
Anna Camp,
Hana Mae Lee,
Ester Dean,
Chrissie Fit,
Alexis Knapp,
Kelly Jakle,
Shelley Regner,
John Michael Higgins, and
Elizabeth Banks reprising their roles from previous installments, joined by
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...
,
DJ Khaled
Khaled Mohammed Khaled (; born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry ar ...
,
Ruby Rose
Ruby Rose Langenheim (born 20 March 1986) is an Australian actress, television presenter, and model. She gained prominence for her role in Orange Is the New Black season 3, season three of the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2015� ...
,
Matt Lanter, and
Guy Burnet. The film follows the Bellas, now graduated from college, reuniting for one final performance together during an overseas
USO
The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
tour.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
on the film began in January 2017 in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, and ended in April 2017. The film was released in the United States on December 22, 2017, received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $185 million worldwide against its $45 million budget. It became the second-highest grossing musical comedy film of all time, behind its predecessor.
Plot
Three years after the events of
the second film, the original Bellas have graduated from Barden University, but they all hate their jobs. Beca and Amy, whose respective relationships with Jesse and Bumper ended some time after the competition, are now roommates along with Chloe in New York City.
They are invited alongside the remaining original Bellas by Emily, now a senior and leader of the current Barden Bellas, to an event under the impression they will be performing, only to discover they are merely guests. Disappointed, they reconvene at a bar and express how much they miss performing with each other.
Aubrey convinces the group to join a
USO
The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...
tour headlined by
DJ Khaled
Khaled Mohammed Khaled (; born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry ar ...
, hoping her father will finally watch her perform. As Stacie is eight months pregnant and unable to tour, Emily takes her place.
The Bellas land at a base in
Rota, Spain, greeted by liaison soldiers Chicago and Zeke. They also meet the other three bands on the tour, which use musical instruments, making the Bellas feel out of place. Chloe begins to fall for Chicago.
Fat Amy learns that Fergus, her estranged father (who is also a ruthless international crime lord), has found her at their hotel. The Bellas are invited to a party at DJ Khaled's suite, where Beca develops a friendship with DJ Khaled's music producer, Theo, who is impressed when she easily produces a mix of her singing on Khaled's editing equipment.
Moments later, the party is thrown into chaos when Aubrey accidentally starts a fire. Meanwhile, Amy sneaks off to a poker tournament, which is revealed to be a ruse by Fergus in order to get back into Amy's life, which she agrees to after believing he has changed.
While the Bellas are recovering from ruining DJ Khaled's party, Stacie calls to inform them that she has given birth to a girl, whom she has named Bella. The news inspires the group to continue performing, and their shows go down very well with the troops.
Fergus and Amy gradually make up, until he accidentally reveals that he is only trying to acquire her US$190 million offshore account created by Amy's mother, causing Amy to disown her father. Meanwhile, DJ Khaled asks Beca to open for him without the other Bellas. Beca declines the offer and returns to her room, and doesn't tell the group she was asked.
The Bellas (without Beca and Amy) are abducted and taken aboard Fergus' yacht, as an attempt to manipulate Amy. When she and Beca learn of the kidnapping, they sneak onboard. Beca distracts Fergus by leading the Bellas in a performance of "
Toxic
Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...
" while Amy sets up and detonates a bomb.
The Bellas escape the yacht, and Fergus is later arrested. After the Bellas are rescued by the military, Amy reveals DJ Khaled's proposition to Beca to the others. They encourage her to take the chance, agreeing that it is time to move on with their lives. They know they will stay connected to each other as a family.
At the final USO performance, Beca opens for DJ Khaled, then brings the Bellas onstage to sing their final performance – "
Freedom! '90
"Freedom! '90" (also known simply as "Freedom!") is a song written, produced, and performed by English singer-songwriter George Michael, and released by Columbia Records in October 1990. The 90" added to the end of the title is to prevent conf ...
". Gail and John, the public announcers when the Bellas originally competed, have filmed a Bella documentary, only to be appalled when John realises they did not record the Bellas' final performance.
Now the Bellas' lives are improving: Amy uses her new bankroll for tributes to singers named Amy; Aubrey works as a birthing coach; Flo's juice cart becomes an international brand; Chloe gets into vet school; Cynthia-Rose enlists in the USAF flight school; Emily returns to Barden and her songwriting; Lilly reveals that she was quiet because she was possessed by Satan, the bomb snapped her out of it, and her real name is Esther, and starts a relationship with DJ Dragon Nutz; Aubrey reconnects with her father; Chloe and Chicago become an item; Beca is now Theo's boss.
Cast
*
Anna Kendrick
Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. Known for playing upbeat and endearing characters in comedies and musicals, List of awards and nominations received by Anna Kendrick, her accolades include nominations for an Aca ...
as Beca Mitchell, an alumna and the former leader of the Barden Bellas, who works as a producer but quits due to creative differences, before joining the tour.
*
Rebel Wilson as Patricia "Fat Amy" Hobart, a overconfident, comedic alumna of The Barden Bellas, from Australia. She held a one-woman show, "Fat
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...
", before joining the tour.
*
Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld (born December 11, 1996) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. She had her breakthrough with the western film ''True Grit (2010 film), True Grit'' (2010), which earned her List of awards and nominations received by H ...
as Emily Junk, a senior student at Barden University and the current leader of the new Barden Bellas, who joins her former classmates for the tour.
*
Brittany Snow
Brittany Anne Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American actress. She came to prominence for her role in the CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light'' (1998–2001), for which she won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress and was nominated for two o ...
as Chloe Beale, a Barden Bellas alumna and former co-leader, who longs for glory days with the Bellas. She applied to attend a vet school before joining the tour.
*
Anna Camp as Aubrey Posen, a Barden Bellas alumna and former leader, before Beca, who worked at the Lodge of Fallen Leaves. Through her father, the Bellas were invited to the USO tour.
*
John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...
as Fergus Hobart, Fat Amy's estranged criminal father
*
DJ Khaled
Khaled Mohammed Khaled (; born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry ar ...
as himself
*
Hana Mae Lee as Lilly Onakuramara/Esther, a Barden Bellas alumna known for her quiet speaking voice and odd remarks. She worked as a tailor before joining the tour.
*
Ester Dean as Cynthia Rose Adams, a tough tomboy Barden Bellas alumna, who failed the Flight School simulation before joining the tour.
*
Chrissie Fit as Florencia "Flo" Fuentes, a Barden Bellas alumna, from Guatemala. She worked at a juice truck before joining the tour.
*
Ruby Rose
Ruby Rose Langenheim (born 20 March 1986) is an Australian actress, television presenter, and model. She gained prominence for her role in Orange Is the New Black season 3, season three of the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2015� ...
as Calamity, lead singer of the band Evermoist
*
Alexis Knapp as Stacie Conrad, a Barden Bellas alumna, known for being overly sexual. She works as a pilates instructor and despite wanting to, could not join the tour due to her pregnancy.
*
Kelley Jakle as Jessica Smith, a Barden Bellas alumna.
*
Shelley Regner as Ashley Jones, a Barden Bellas alumna.
*
Matt Lanter as Chicago, a U.S. soldier guiding the Bellas during the tour, and Chloe's love interest.
*
Guy Burnet as Theo, DJ Khaled's music producer, who takes a liking to Beca
*
Andy Allo as Serenity, a member of Evermoist
* Hannah Fairlight as Veracity, a member of Evermoist
*
Venzella Joy Williams as Charity, drummer for Evermoist
*
John Michael Higgins as John Smith, an a cappella commentator making an insulting documentary about The Bellas
*
Elizabeth Banks as Gail Abernathy-McKadden-Feinberger, the other a cappella commentator making an insulting documentary about The Bellas
Additionally,
Trinidad James
Nicholaus Joseph Williams (born September 24, 1987), better known by his stage name Trinidad James (often stylized as Trinidad Jame$), is a Trinidadian-American rapper, songwriter and music video director. In December 2012, he signed with Def Ja ...
appears as Young Sparrow, D.J. Looney appears as DJ Dragon Nutz, Whiskey Shivers appears as the group Saddle Up, Troy Ian Hall appears as Zeke,
Moisés Arias appears as Pimp-Lo,
Jessica Chaffin appears as Evan, and Michael Rose appears as Aubrey's Father.
Production
On April 11, 2015, a month before the release of the second film, it was announced that
Rebel Wilson would return for a third film, although she stated that she did not know if
Anna Kendrick
Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. Known for playing upbeat and endearing characters in comedies and musicals, List of awards and nominations received by Anna Kendrick, her accolades include nominations for an Aca ...
or other cast members would also reprise their roles. She added that she would be "up for a Fat Amy spin-off". Director and producer of the second film
Elizabeth Banks acknowledged the possibility of a third film during promotion of ''Pitch Perfect 2'', saying, "it would be disingenuous to say that no one’s talking about a ''Pitch Perfect 3''; the possibility of it."
On June 10, 2015, a third film was officially confirmed, and
Kay Cannon was set to return to write the script. On June 15, 2015, it was announced that Kendrick and Wilson would both reprise their roles,
and on July 28, 2015,
Brittany Snow
Brittany Anne Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American actress. She came to prominence for her role in the CBS soap opera ''Guiding Light'' (1998–2001), for which she won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress and was nominated for two o ...
signed on to return as well.
Paul Brooks again produced for
Gold Circle Films, along with Banks and Max Handelman for
Brownstone Productions.
On October 27, 2015, Banks was officially announced to return as director for the film, though she exited in that capacity on June 3, 2016. On September 1, 2016,
Trish Sie
Patricia Mary Sie (Birth name, ''née'' Kulash) is an American film and music video director, best known for directing the films ''Step Up: All In'' (2014) and ''Pitch Perfect 3'' (2017), as well as music videos, particularly for the alternativ ...
was confirmed to direct the film. On December 13, 2016, it was reported that
Ruby Rose
Ruby Rose Langenheim (born 20 March 1986) is an Australian actress, television presenter, and model. She gained prominence for her role in Orange Is the New Black season 3, season three of the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2015� ...
was in talks to join the cast, while
Anna Camp signed on to return for the sequel.
Cannon wrote the script with later drafts by
Mike White and
Dana Fox
Dana Fox (born September 18, 1976) is an American screenwriter. She is best known as the writer of the films ''The Wedding Date'' (2005), ''What Happens in Vegas'' (2008) and ''Wicked (2024 film), Wicked'' (2024, co-written with Winnie Holzman), ...
; White would eventually receive screenwriting credits alongside Cannon.
On January 5, 2017, a table read occurred, with
Ester Dean,
Hana Mae Lee,
Chrissie Fit,
Kelley Jakle, and
Shelley Regner also being confirmed to reprise their roles,
and singer
Andy Allo joining as Charity, a rival in a group opposing the Bellas. While it was revealed by vocal director
Deke Sharon that
Alexis Knapp would return; on February 6, she posted a photo on Instagram, confirming her return, and was on set the following day, filming a short cameo performance.
Filming
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
on the film began on January 5, 2017, and took place in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia,
Cádiz
Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...
, Spain and
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million[Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...]
, Australia, on November 30, 2017, and was released in the United States on December 22, 2017.
Reception
Box office
''Pitch Perfect 3'' grossed $104.9 million in the United States and Canada and $80.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $185 million, against a production budget of $45 million.
In the United States and Canada, ''Pitch Perfect 3'' was released alongside the openings of ''
Downsizing'' and ''
Father Figures'', as well as the wide expansions of ''
The Shape of Water'' and ''
Darkest Hour''. The movie was projected to gross $27–35 million from 3,447 theaters in its opening weekend. The film took in $2.1 million from Thursday night previews, about half of the $4.6 million earned by its predecessor. Over the three-day weekend, which included Christmas Eve, it grossed $19.9 million (down nearly 70% from the second film's $69.2 million debut), finishing third at the box office, behind ''
Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' and ''
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle''. It grossed an additional $6.5 million on Christmas Day, for a four-day total of $26.4 million.
It dropped 15% the following weekend, grossing $16.8 million, and a total of $21.7 million over the four-day New Year's frame.
Critical response
On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film has an approval rating of 29% based on 150 reviews and an average rating of 4.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Pitch Perfect 3'' strains to recapture the magic that helped the original spawn a franchise, but ends up sending this increasingly unnecessary trilogy out on a low note." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 40 out of 100 based on 35 critics. Audiences polled by
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data.
Background
Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, the same score earned by its predecessor.
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for '' Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
of ''
Variety'' praised the cast and said, "The new film doesn't add anything revolutionary to the ''Pitch Perfect'' formula. It still sounds like we're in middle-period ''
Glee
Glee may refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album)
* ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album)
* Gle ...
'' written by someone who finds
Ryan Murphy too solemn. But as directed by Trish Sie, the movie is bubbly, it's fast, it's hella synthetic-clever, and it's an avid showcase for the personalities of its stars."
Frank Scheck for ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote "... what started out as a charmingly offbeat comic premise has inevitably degenerated into the sort of crass commercialism that probably would make the Bellas themselves turn up their noses."
Accolades
Music
The soundtrack to ''Pitch Perfect 3'' was released on December 15, 2017. It consisted of 19 tracks, along with a mashup song "
Freedom! '90
"Freedom! '90" (also known simply as "Freedom!") is a song written, produced, and performed by English singer-songwriter George Michael, and released by Columbia Records in October 1990. The 90" added to the end of the title is to prevent conf ...
x
Cups", performed by the cast and the finalists of
the 13th season of
''The Voice'' led the album as a single on November 21.
A special edition album was released on March 2, 2018, which includes three additional tracks.
Possible sequel
When asked about a sequel to ''Pitch Perfect 3'', director Trish Sie said in December 2017, "Of course that's above my pay grade and I have no idea and am not the one making the decisions but as far as I am concerned, I would see these movies on and on and on until they start sucking. I think whether it's these women in the next stage of life or it's a new group of women going through these things, I think there are endless ways to chart the course of the girls' lives and a woman's life." In 2024, Rebel Wilson confirmed in a BBC Radio 2 interview that "There is one being developed" and stating "I guess they've got to get the script right first, which is the age-old dilemma," giving further potential for a sequel.
References
External links
*
*
{{Mike White
2017 films
2010s buddy comedy films
2010s musical comedy films
American buddy comedy films
American female buddy films
American musical comedy films
American sequel films
2010s English-language films
Films about music competitions
Films about music and musicians
Films set in New York City
Films set in Paris
Films set in Spain
Films produced by Elizabeth Banks
Films scored by Christopher Lennertz
Films with screenplays by Mike White (filmmaker)
Brownstone Productions films
Gold Circle Films films
Universal Pictures films
Pitch Perfect (franchise)
2017 comedy films
Films directed by Trish Sie
2010s female buddy films
Jukebox musical films
2010s American films
English-language musical comedy films
English-language buddy comedy films
Teen Choice Award winning films
2017 musical films