Pitch Perfect 3
The Bella’s are back with an action-packed, song-filled adventure.
In what is allegedly the last of the franchise (I wouldn’t count on it), the Barden Bella’s we’ve come to know and love have graduated and finding things in the real world aca-terrible.
A reunion gone wrong spurs the girls to find a way to sing again and before you can say “Don’t any of you have or need jobs?” they’re off on a USO tour to entertain the troops, riff off with other acts and challenge the limits of friendship.
The Pitch Perfect franchise has always been unrealistic (it lives in a world where a capella is the HEIGHT OF COOL) and the latest installment will push even loyal fans to the edge of disbelief.
But the success of the films comes from the undeniable chemistry between the girls in the group and that’s still there, along with the catchy mash-ups and performances that will have you downloading the soundtrack before you leave the theatre.
If you loved the first and second installments you’ll love the third. If this is your first foray into the world of a capella, I’d start with the first film so that you can fall in love from the beginning.
The Greatest Showman
When it comes to being a triple threat (sing, dance and act) there’s no one in Hollywood who can compete with Hugh Jackman.
He’s back on screen putting all those skills to work in The Greatest Showman, a musical that tells the story of PT Barnum and his first circus.
With music by the team that brought you La La Land and the Broadway smash Dear Evan Hansen, the movie will have you tapping toes and wanting to dance in the aisle from the opening number.
Jackman is undoubtedly the star of the show, but if there is one person who could steal the spotlight it’s newcomer Keala Settle (a Tony award-winning actress in her first film role) who plays the bearded lady.
Her big song “This is Us” is a showstopper and the heart of the show, although to be fair there isn’t a clunker song in the whole film. The plot occasionally becomes a little cheesy and hard to believe, but of course this is a story in which people break into the same song and dance without rehearsals. So suspend your disbelief for a couple of hours and enjoy the pure entertainment The Greatest Showman provides.
Vicky Sparks is a Bright’s Grove native and movie critic for Global TV’s The Morning Show, which airs nationally on Fridays. Her Journal Reviews cover movies playing at Galaxy Cinemas Sarnia