Pitch Perfect 2 (B-) Movie Review
The sequel to the 2012 hit musical film Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2 stars the same group of girls (Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow), with the addition of Hailee Steinfeld, as the national a capella champions who, after ravaging their reputation at a performance, must come back by competing in the 2015 World Championship of A Capella.
Pitch Perfect 2 should be more fun right? It ups the stakes of everything, it adds a couple of fun new co-stars to the mix (Oscar-nominee Hailee Steinfeld), and Elizabeth Banks as a director! I can't say that it's as fun as its predecessor. But, if you're in this film's targeted demographic, you will probably enjoy it quite a bit.
Pitch Perfect succeeded in its ability to encapsulate this really appealing, zany energy that's lacking in a lot of teen films nowadays. It had such an odd, but endearing, sense of humor, and the entire premise was a little out there to begin with. Pitch Perfect 2 does a decent job at capturing most of that energy the second time around. It's all about letting these characters interact, play off each other, and see what good material can come out of it.
The ensemble is just as good this time around. Anna Kendrick proves to be excellent at her deadpan style of delivery and Rebel Wilson is as weird as always. But that's what people love about Wilson and it's easy to see how Fat Amy has become one of the most well-known characters in film of the last five years. Her body is the butt of a few jokes but Banks and the writers help it come off as a "we're laughing with her" kind of deal. Even when the film is stereotyping races and making fat jokes, it's all oddly good-natured.
Pitch Perfect 2 is also surprisingly well directed by Elizabeth Banks, who directed a segment in the apparently atrocious Movie 43 (I haven't seen it). The musical sequences look spectacular and seems to be where she excels the most. There's also a couple of genuinely heartwarming scenes involving the group of girls, one in particular, that involves a throwback to the breakout song of the original film sung around a campfire.
Where the film stumbles is its overall effectiveness in keeping up with the original film. This is definitely inferior to the first film. The gags are less memorable ("I've just been hit with flying Mexican food!") and some of the quirkiness is lost in its attempt to be more appealing for a general audience.
The film also has an odd pace which gets caught up in personal character conflicts, and as time passes you have to wonder, "When are they ever going to get to Europe?" As the end of the film neared, I knew that crossed my mind and it did so to a couple of people I was watching it with. There's one conflict involving Anna Kendrick's character in which she gets an internship for a music company. This takes up a fair amount of the film's run time and it doesn't seem to serve much of a purpose, except for Keegan-Michael Key, from Key and Peele, to show off some impressive comedy.
Pitch Perfect 2's demographic will enjoy the film, no doubt. But for fans of the original film who loved its offbeat nature, they may leave a little disappointed like I did. But there's still a lot to like and older audiences may find this one more accessible.
FINAL GRADE: B-
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for innuendo and language
Pitch Perfect 2 should be more fun right? It ups the stakes of everything, it adds a couple of fun new co-stars to the mix (Oscar-nominee Hailee Steinfeld), and Elizabeth Banks as a director! I can't say that it's as fun as its predecessor. But, if you're in this film's targeted demographic, you will probably enjoy it quite a bit.
Pitch Perfect succeeded in its ability to encapsulate this really appealing, zany energy that's lacking in a lot of teen films nowadays. It had such an odd, but endearing, sense of humor, and the entire premise was a little out there to begin with. Pitch Perfect 2 does a decent job at capturing most of that energy the second time around. It's all about letting these characters interact, play off each other, and see what good material can come out of it.
The ensemble is just as good this time around. Anna Kendrick proves to be excellent at her deadpan style of delivery and Rebel Wilson is as weird as always. But that's what people love about Wilson and it's easy to see how Fat Amy has become one of the most well-known characters in film of the last five years. Her body is the butt of a few jokes but Banks and the writers help it come off as a "we're laughing with her" kind of deal. Even when the film is stereotyping races and making fat jokes, it's all oddly good-natured.
Pitch Perfect 2 is also surprisingly well directed by Elizabeth Banks, who directed a segment in the apparently atrocious Movie 43 (I haven't seen it). The musical sequences look spectacular and seems to be where she excels the most. There's also a couple of genuinely heartwarming scenes involving the group of girls, one in particular, that involves a throwback to the breakout song of the original film sung around a campfire.
Where the film stumbles is its overall effectiveness in keeping up with the original film. This is definitely inferior to the first film. The gags are less memorable ("I've just been hit with flying Mexican food!") and some of the quirkiness is lost in its attempt to be more appealing for a general audience.
The film also has an odd pace which gets caught up in personal character conflicts, and as time passes you have to wonder, "When are they ever going to get to Europe?" As the end of the film neared, I knew that crossed my mind and it did so to a couple of people I was watching it with. There's one conflict involving Anna Kendrick's character in which she gets an internship for a music company. This takes up a fair amount of the film's run time and it doesn't seem to serve much of a purpose, except for Keegan-Michael Key, from Key and Peele, to show off some impressive comedy.
Pitch Perfect 2's demographic will enjoy the film, no doubt. But for fans of the original film who loved its offbeat nature, they may leave a little disappointed like I did. But there's still a lot to like and older audiences may find this one more accessible.
FINAL GRADE: B-
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for innuendo and language