Pitch Perfect 2

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Banks, Hailee Steinfeld, John Michael Higgins, Donald Faison, Adam Devine Katey Sagal, Ben Platt, Alexis Knapp, Birgitte Hjort Sorensen, Flula Borg, John Hodgman, Jason Jones, Jo Lo Truglio, Snoop Dogg, David Cross, Keegan-Michael Kay, Clay Matthews
Directed by: Elizabeth Banks
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Music
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Bellas suffer a national embarrassment that threatens to ruin the program. They struggle to rediscover their identity as they prepare for an international singing competition.

Review:

Tim: I really like Pitch Perfect 2 and I love the story around it. The original movie was a surprising success, so this film started moving forward. Elizabeth Banks made her feature film directorial debut with this movie, and the film topped the first movie's total box office it's opening weekend. That is stunning and speaks volumes about the original's audience goodwill. It helps that this sequel is every bit as good as the original.

What I liked about the first film is that it was just a fun movie to watch. The same thing can be said about this one. Yes, the movie's story is inherently silly and far fetched, but it never seems like a major flaw. This movie takes interesting, likable characters, gives them some hilarious dialogue, and moves the story forward. It doesn't take any kind of revolutionary approach to storytelling, it just tells a good, entertaining story. That's one of the film's greatest strengths. It's just enjoyable to watch.

The cast is once again the biggest draw. Anna Kendrick is great in the lead role. I thought her character's arc was a bit weaker this time around, but she still has this remarkable everywoman quality that audiences can relate with. It's great fun watching her in this role. Rebel Wilson again brings her high energy nuttiness to he role. I love how she embraces this character and it's no surprise that she generates the largest share of laughs. Hailee Steinfeld was a nice addition to the cast and it was fun seeing the Bellas through a newcomer's eyes. Skylar Astin felt like he had much less to do this time around, which was a little disappointing. Adam DeVine's presence is so welcome here- he just adds a great deal to the movie. It was fun seeing Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins, although their shtick was a bit hit-or-miss. Some of their banter was really funny, others just fell flat. Still, as a whole, the cast is great.

I do want to mention one issue I have- outside of Kendrick and Wilson, it's hard for me to really identify with or even remember most of other Bellas. I think this is a flaw of the film. The supporting characters need more development. There's the lesbian one, the creepy Asian girl, and then a bunch of others. At one point, the film even jokes about not knowing those supporting characters' names. It just felt like I should have known them better. The characters show up for a funny joke, but outside of their one-liners, aren't especially memorable.

Another qualm I have with the film is that the story feels secondary- it's just there to give our characters something to do, rather than being something truly compelling in its own right. The whole thing was a bit hard to believe- the Bellas have a wardrobe malfunction. It's embarrassing, but it was an accident. The story treats them like pariahs afterwards. It just felt like the punishment didn't fit the crime, and indeed, was just a weak plot device to create drama. The story kind of plods forward to the big international competition, but it's never especially engaging. The story is quite predictable from start to finish. Again, the journey is great because of these individual funny moments and seeing these wonderful characters do funny things, but the reasons behind it all felt a bit flimsy.

Pitch Perfect 2 is very much like the first film. It's not nearly good enough to be considered a great film, but it is still solidly good throughout. It's fun, enjoyable, and entertaining. While I do wish the story was better written, I still loved watching these characters together. By all accounts, this movie is certainly a success and I look forward to the inevitable third film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Pitch Perfect, Bring It On, Up in the Air, Into the Woods, Begin Again