Don't let the review on here fool you: I am no newcomer to the world of Pitch Perfect. Somehow, the series seems to have slipped through the review net, but not only have I seen all three films before, I think this is either my third or fourth viewing of the original movie to date. It shouldn't be a surprise then that I'm a fan 😁

The Pitch Perfect films all strike a fun balance between the ethics at the heart of all teen comedies (friendship, growing up, yadda yadda) and a self-aware level of humour which just gets me every time. It definitely helps that I'm a big Anna Kendrick fan, but I don't think there's a bad performance in here. I could do without the vomit gags, but the running joke about the one girl who's too quiet to hear, and yet incredibly dark, just makes me laugh. Is her transformation into beatboxer a bit too telegraphed? Sure, but that's part of the charm here. The obvious beats all happen in the order you'd expect, but there's just enough plot, originality, and character development to make you care anywhere.

That said, I had forgotten how much Benji's character is weirdly sidelined. The male friendship between Benji and love interest Jesse is refreshingly emotional, simple, and honest, but he drops out of the film for most of the second act, only to be shoehorned back in later. It feels a bit unnecessary and odd.

Other than that, though, I still really enjoy this film. The music is great, the caricature judges are brilliant (Elizabeth Banks is comedy gold), the story is just interesting and nuanced enough, and the whole production feels like people cared. It's a little original, a little twisted, and endlessly funny. Top stuff.