The Pitch Perfect Movies Ranked
I’m not going to lie, there was a while there where any mention of or excerpt from the Pitch Perfect movies really got on my nerves. There’s only so much exposure to theater kids you can take before it extinguishes your desire, if you had any to begin with, to engage with the objects of their obsessions. The a capella musical comedies owe their genesis to the fusion of experiences from Mickey Rapkin’s non-fiction book (the nominal basis), the first film’s director Jason Moore’s time in college, and the initial screenplay from 30 ROCK (2006–2013) writer and producer and BLOCKERS (2018) and CINDERELLA (2021) director Kay Cannon. The huge success of the first movie (I can recall just how deeply it affected those aforementioned theater kids in high school) led to two sequels and a spin-off show, PITCH PERFECT: BUMPER IN BERLIN (2022-present). In visiting the directed films of Elizabeth Banks, who prominently stars in each of the Pitch Perfect movies and in fact directed the second installment, I ended up experiencing this often beloved trilogy. What I found was something at times better than I expected, but often just as expectedly eye-rolling.
#3 — PITCH PERFECT 3 (2017)
D: Trish Sie
The conclusion of the Pitch Perfect series is not a satisfying one. This also-ran, which sheds a number of characters in favor of grating cameos and an inane USO tour premise, is clearly the nadir. Where PITCH PERFECT had a better ear and a better eye for choreography and PITCH PERFECT 2 had better comedic timing, this installment has…the goal of being DJ Khaled’s opening act. It’s not like the previous films were some kind of reined-in displays of clever humor, but PITCH PERFECT 3 is a sloppy continuation of what made its predecessors tolerable.
#2 — PITCH PERFECT (2012)
D: Jason Moore
I have a feeling that true fans of the Pitch Perfect movies find the one that started it all to be the best. For what many are seeking, I understand why. PITCH PERFECT’s execution of extremely produced a cappella arrangements of popular songs scratches a certain itch (sometimes too hard) while its college hijinks and message of belonging provide a form of investment in between the excessively bubbly song and dance numbers. The problem for me lies in the comedy. Operating in the mode of studio comedy common at the time (read: as dumb as any era’s but not quite as good), the movie seems to lack a fundamental energy in the delivery of its jokes. So many lines are sent out into the air to fall flat, and I’m not always sure why that is the case. Is it simply the performances? Is it the edit? Maybe the base writing is just no good? It’s probably a combination of those factors. Ultimately, the movie has too many cringe-inducing moments, from saccharine sweet epiphanies to all-too-joyful slick tunes. PITCH PERFECT acknowledges the goofiness of college a cappella tournaments, but it doesn’t have enough of the comedic instinct to back it up.
#1 — PITCH PERFECT 2 (2015)
D: Elizabeth Banks
You may wonder, considering my often dismissive tone regarding the Pitch Perfect movies so far, why I decided to write this in the first place. First of all, it is sometimes therapeutic to take aim at that which annoys you. Second of all, I don’t totally hate the mediocrity that generally represents the series. And finally, PITCH PERFECT 2 is actually kind of good, unlike the entries that sandwich it. Without a doubt, Banks brings a different comedic sensibility to the material than Sie or Moore. In spite of an improvisational feel to many of the movie’s scenes, that limp reception I described for PITCH PERFECT is mostly done away with. Even in instances of eye-rolling stupidity, the earnestness of the performances sell the jokes. Banks and John Michael Higgins as the commentators/administrators (?) of the bizarre intercollegiate league of a cappella nerds have always been the highlight of any of the Pitch Perfect movies and that is especially true here. But in this case apparently, a rising tide lifts all boats, as the duo serve to augment a solid comedy rather than offer quality respite. PITCH PERFECT 2 does in fact not have the show-stopping numbers of the first film that even swayed my cold dead heart at times, but its treatment of the music isn’t noticeably terrible; the heights for this series are already dubious for me anyways. PITCH PERFECT 2 succeeds the best in a trilogy of questionable musical comedies because of that comedy part, which actually forms the bulk of the runtime between the cheesy stage productions, a suspect honor to be sure.
