Given
what I felt were the main detractors in the original Pitch Perfect – it takes the Bellas a long time to find their
sound, the bonding is told more than shown, and there can be a bit too much
cattiness between Bellas – I figured the sequel would be past these issues and
be all the better for it. Unfortunately,
Pitch Perfect 2 has some sequel-itis
problems and generally isn’t as tight as its predecessor. On the plus side, seeing its missteps gives
me greater appreciation for the original.
Three
years after the end of the first movie, the Bellas are at the top of their game
when a high-profile onstage catastrophe earns them notoriety. They’re booted from the collegiate a cappella
competition circuit, and their only hope of being reinstated is to take home
the top prize at the world a cappella championships. Their problems are, mainly, a) no American
team has ever won, b) their fiercest competition, the incredible German group
Das Sound Machine, shakes their confidence in their own style, and c) unbeknownst
to the others, group leader Beca has scored a record-label internship, seriously
reducing the time she can devote to Bella duties.
The
Bellas find their sound over the course of the first movie, but early in this
one, they lose sight of it again.
They’re intimidated by Das Sound Machine’s well-oiled, avant-garde,
concentrated-wall-of-music style, and they become convinced that the only way
to beat the Germans is to emulate them.
This means they spend a big chunk of the film floundering in a technique
that doesn’t suit them, so I still don’t get nearly as much awesome a cappella
ladies as I want. (Das Sound Machine,
though, is fantastic. I love it every time they’re onscreen.)
Beyond
that, the story is a little more unfocused, the jokes are a little lazier, and
the broadest elements of the original film get a little too much use. I was excited when I realized that Hailee
Steinfeld (Mattie Ross in the Coen Brothers’ version of True Grit) was joining the cast, but her rather bland character
feels out-of-place amongst the other girls.
In a way, the film suffers from the same problem as the Bellas
themselves: it’s grown less sure of who
it is, and in its desire to please, it tries to force stuff that feels less
authentic.
That
said, it’s not a write-off. There are
still some great music performances; I already mentioned the wonderful (and
hilarious) Das Sound Machine, and a number of groups, including the Bellas,
make a fabulous showing at an underground a cappella-off. Bonus points for including songs by Muse and
MIKA, both of which delighted me immensely.
I also feel the connection between the Bellas more strongly here. I enjoy the female bonding, and even when
they fight or fall out, their affection for one another gives it more
weight. Additionally, Beca’s internship
scenes are a lot of fun, chiefly due to her boss’s hysterical tirades and
one-liners (Keegan-Michael Key is amazing,) and I like that the main romance is
just kind of chill, present and sweet without monopolizing Beca’s story or
screentime.
Warnings
Swearing,
sexual content (including masturbation references,) drinking, and some
gross-out humor.
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