Pitch Perfect 2 (2015, PG-13)

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.