Pitch Perfect 3 is the swan song of the franchise

Movie Title:  
    Pitch Perfect 3

Rating: PG-13, 1 hour 33 minutes

Grade:  C+

In a Nutshell: I admit that Pitch Perfect is one of my guilty pleasures. I’ve seen the first two movies in the Pitch Perfect franchise several times, and so I was really excited and curious to see what was going to happen in this final installment. 

While it was fun to see all of the Barden Bellas together again, their swan song ended on a bit of a low note.

Tips for parents: 

• EXTREMELY crude language.
• LOTS of sex jokes.
• The Bellas are generally NOT good role models for your daughters.  There is a lot of cleavage, foul language, alcohol, an unwed pregnancy, and they say things like, “Let’s get slutty!”

Uplifting theme: 

• “Your real family doesn’t hold you back.  They lift you up.” – Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson)
• “Age wrinkles the body, but quitting wrinkles the soul.” – Aubrey (Anna Camp)
• “I’m part of a group and we all have something special.” - Becca (Anna Kendrick)

                     

Things I liked:

• Great, fun music as always.
• Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson carry the show.
• This time the Bellas go to the south of France.  Ooh la la  They also spend a little bit of time in Spain, where I lived for 2 years.  Woot!
• Finally, Jessica and Ashley get a little more attention.  Ha ha
• If you like DJ Khaled, you’ll get a kick out of his appearance in this movie.  In fact, he plays a big role in the story.
• Keep watching during the rolling credits at the end of the movie.
• SPOILER:  We FINALLY get to meet Aubrey's dad who has all of the crazy sayings.
• A lot of the Bellas experience some kind of final resolution in their lives and stories in the end.
• Hailee Steinfeld and Brittany Snow are delightful as ever.
• John Lithgow was a surprise!  The trailer did a great job of hiding his role in the movie.  He's pretty amazing and can do dramatic roles as equally well as he does comedic ones.  He most recently won an Emmy for his impressive role as Winston Churchill in Crown, the - Season 01 , which my husband and I binge-watched and loved.

Things I didn’t like:

• The final song in the first two movies actually made me tear up with some emotional depth, but this one not so much. It just felt like a fond farewell.
•  If you haven't seen the first two movies in the series, you won't understand a lot of the inside jokes, but you'll still be entertained enough.
• Fat Amy's story gets chaotically crazy.
• If you're not a Pitch Perfect fan, you'll think this is a really dumb movie.  If you are a fan (like me), you'll put up with the nonsense and enjoy the last hurrah.
• Ruby Rose as Calamity is so mesmerizing.  I would love to have seen more of her.

Funny lines:

• “You can go wherever you want!” –  Fat Amy's dad (John Lithgow)

“Urban outfitters?” – Fat Amy

• “When am I ever going to learn to open my mail?” – Fat Amy
• “This is way too much cardio.” – Fat Amy
• “As my dad always says, “Always give 100% unless you’re donating blood or getting a divorce.” – Aubrey  

                                            @trinaboice 

The Last Five Years stage musical comes to the big screen

Movie:  The Last Five Years

PG-13, 1 hour, 34 minutes

Grade: A-

In a Nutshell:  Mix these 3 things together for a tasty film: passion, pain, Anna Kendrick.   Based on the popular off-Broadway stage musical (by Jason Robert Brown), this deconstructed love story musical flew under the radar for most movie goers. 

With hardly any dialogue, Anna Kendrick fans will be pleased to hear her sing throughout the entire movie.   The story is cleverly told as she sings the story from the end, going backwards and Jamie, played by Jeremy Jordan (I thought he was great in TV's "Smash") sings their love story from the beginning in chronological order.  (It's less confusing if you know that ahead of time.)

Uplifting Theme:

* The Last Five Years was inspired by Jason Robert Brown's failed marriage.  It doesn't present a rose-colored view of romance, but a realistic look into how love is worth working for.

Things I liked:

·        I really enjoy Anna Kendrick and am thrilled that she is being featured in so many musicals lately.   I can’t wait to hear her again in Pitch Perfect 2.  It hits theaters on May 15, 2015.  

·        Jeremy seemed to start out slowly, but then really bloomed.  His Jewish accent during “The Schmuel Song" was hilarious.  Anna Kendrick's funny comments during the song are entirely ad lib.

      It feels like an Indie musical on a small budget, which fits the tale of two struggling artists living in New York City.

      I got a kick out of the subtle and satirical humor which deserve the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics the stage show received back in 2002, when it first opened off Broadway.

      The screen adaptation by Richard LaGravenese (he also did P.S. I Love You ), keeps the two stars on screen together most of the time, as opposed to the stage production where the characters sing solo during most of the show.

     The blonder Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan are so engaging that you don't miss not having a big ensemble cast.  They have both been previously nominated for Tony awards, Anna being the second youngest ever to do so.

Things I didn’t like:

·        It’s a bit depressing to know at the very beginning that their relationship fails when Cathy sings about their break-up.

·         

Funny lines

·        “Why am I working so hard?  These are the people who cast Russell Crowe in a musical.”  - Cathy

Interesting lines:

·        “You are the story I should write.” – Jamie

·        “If I didn’t believe in you, I couldn’t have loved you at all.” - Jamie

Tips for Parents:  Some profanity, 1 F-bomb,  people in underwear and bed scenes.

Other musicals with Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan: