Pitch Perfect 2
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Adam DeVine
Directed By: Elizabeth Banks
Reviewed by Brendan Dousi
[rating: 3/5]
It has been proven time and time again that sequels are tricky beasts to master. Almost any big Hollywood film being released these days is a franchise or sequel of some kind, yet an alarming number fail to live up to the hype and expectations generated by the first successful outing. Even tried and true companies like Marvel have issues with many touting the latest Avengers film as inferior to its predecessor. Hopefully getting that magic formula right is easier for films that have less giant explosions and high-stakes adventure and focus on a more grounded reality, say a college A Capella group? That’s right, the surprising break-out cult hit of 2012 Pitch Perfect got itself a sequel. Will Pitch Perfect 2 be able to fulfil all our hopes and dreams, or will it fall short in trying to capture what made the original so delightful?
The Barden Bellas are at the top of their game. Having won nationals, they are now on a lucrative victory tour and are pulling out all of the bells and whistles. Unfortunately, that which rises must eventually fall, as the Bellas are shunned and discredited after a disastrous Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) wardrobe malfunction happens in the middle of a performance for President Barrack Obama. Things aren’t all so bad, as The Bellas soon realise that they have a chance to earn back their good name at the World Championships later in the year. Complications arise, however, as a sexy and precise German A Capella group named ‘Das Sound Machine’ proves stiff competition and Becca’s (Anna Kendrick) demanding new internship threatens to divide her attention from the sisters that desperately need her help.
Pitch Perfect 2 tries really hard to recapture all that made the first one so fun and memorable. This does make for a lot of humorous moments, but ultimately it feels like it’s hindering this film. It’s kind of like that awkward friend that you have an inside joke with, but that friend does nothing but keep recalling how funny that joke is instead of trying to make up a new one for you to have together. Instead of laying new ground and taking the film to interesting new places it’s much more interested in trying to recreate those older funny moments, but in more absurd ways. Rebel Wilson’s Fat Amy was one of the funniest characters in the last one so she gets a lot more, unnecessary, screen time. Lilly Okanakamura (Hana Mae Lee), the really quiet Asian girl, pops up and says a lot more weird things about sleeping like a bat. The A Capella commentators Gail (Elizabeth Banks) and John Smith (John Michael Higgins) pop up every now and then to say extremely inappropriate things. I’m sure you see the pattern. Instead of pushing forward and taking things in an interesting direction, we’re left with more of the same. Sure, it generates quite a few laughs, but it does start to get a little tired, especially considering the film lacks a solid plot. They have World Championships as their end-goal, but unfortunately the Bellas are just left biding their time for the majority of the film.
The film isn’t a complete failure, however. It does manage to recreate some of the sparkle that made the first one so special, mostly thanks to the cast being so on-point. While there’s too much of her for sure, Wilson’s Fat Amy still shines as one of the comedy high-lights of the series and plays beautifully off of Adam DeVine’s Bumper. One of the best scene’s in the film features a large number of cameos from a bunch of American athletes (please don’t’ ask me to actually name them) and a delightfully camp performance from David Cross who channels an even more sexually ambiguous version of Tobias Funke. Let’s face it, it’s these characters we’ve come back to see. Well, the characters and a butt-load of awesome A Capella mash-ups. The film certainly delivers on both accounts.
While it isn’t the glorious beacon of pure joy you might have been wishing for from a Pitch Perfect sequel, it still certainly has its moments and delivers a lot of good, heart-warming chuckles. The plot is almost non-existent and some of the characters and jokes wear a bit thin, but there’s enough here to keep you entertained and it’s frankly just nice being back in the world of competitive college-grade A Capella. Bring on Pitch Perfect 3.
