So, I don’t want to make this film out to be more than it was intended to be, a movie intended to capitalize on the nostalgia of Pitch Perfect fans by bringing together three of its stars (Rebel Wison and Anna Camp of the original trilogy, as well as Gigi Zumbado appeared in Pitch Perfect 2) in what amounted to a lackluster comedy. In addition, the film was to capitalize on residual popularity of Rebel Wilson, who won over so many with her quick wit and unique brand of humor. However, the film came off as more of a mash-up of already-seen Rebel Wilson movies, specifically Bridesmaids and The Hustle. And while I commend Rebel Wilson’s nunchuck skills as well as most of her own stunts in the film and her commitment to filming despite getting injured on the final day of filming, this wasn’t a movie that really did it for me. There wasn’t enough originality to keep my interest. The plot essentially felt like a rehash of another average wedding flick that shotgunned a hostage situation. Even with the addition of Justin Hartley and Stephen Dorff, this film felt like more like a direct-to-streaming movie than a theatrical release.
Wilson stars as Sam, a secret agent whose job begins to impede her maid of honor duties, much to the chagrin of her best friend, Betsy (Camp), who, as expected, is unaware of Sam’s job. When Sam’s latest assignment prompts her disappearance from the party, this leads Betsy to drunkenly name her fiancé’s sister Virginia as maid of honor instead. Ostracized from the bridal party, Sam’s attempt to comfort Betsy backfires, and she slips away after Betsy suggests they have grown apart as friends. Things come to a head at the wedding when a mercenary group crashes the party and takes the guests hostage. Sam must jeopardize her cover in order to take down the mercenaries and keep her friends safe.
While the film’s director, Simon West, has a proven track record with actions thrillers, having directed movies such as The Mechanic and Wild Card, I am skeptical that he’s cracked the formula for action comedies. This marks his second attempt in the same amount of years (the first being an action comedy starring Christoph Waltz and Lucy Liu, which I have not seen, but which is in my queue), and my instincts tell me that he may be better suited for action thrillers.
The biggest thing the film had to offer was a surprise villain reveal, and I guessed it pretty much right off the bat. It wasn’t hard to figure out, and I’m betting that a majority of the audience can guess it without even needing to see the movie. Those who do see it, I am also willing to bet, like me, won’t be all that surprised by it either. Beyond that, the film predominantly relies on the established chemistry between Wilson and Camp. Having never been much of a fan of their previous franchise, I can’t speak to the similarities between the dynamics, but I suspect that there are similarities that come from two actors who are comfortable working together, which does show in their interactions in this film. Apart from that familiarity, I got very little out of the story.
I will again commend Wilson on her dedication, as she did perform a majority of her character’s stunts, with the exception of a stunt that involved her character jumping through a window and crashing through the top of van. I also commend her finishing what she started despite having to pause production after a fight scene went awry. Wilson has proven herself to have real staying power in the industry, and while I don’t believe this film is going to do much in the way of helping her career, I also doubt it will do much in the way of harming it, either.
