Pitch Perfect 2 - Review

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Amongst my particular age bracket, 2012’s Pitch Perfect was easily one of the most popular films in years and perhaps the best received ‘teen’ film since Mean Girls in 2004. Anna Kendrick’s Cups became a viral sensation and the film won most of its audience thanks to its many laughs and catchy songs. Making a sequel to a comedy like Pitch Perfect is risky and often all it dishes up is more of the same but usually in a less appealing manner (Think The Hangover Part II). Other times it pays off and we get a film as good if not better than the first one (Think last year’s 22 Jump Street). Thankfully, Pitch Perfect 2 mostly fits into the latter category.

First time director, Elizabeth Banks delivers solid work in the role, directing the many musical numbers with aplomb – particularly the Car Show number by DSM -  and musically, the numbers themselves are as good as the first films, if not a little less crowd-pleasing. The sequel delivers many great laughs, particularly through Banks and John Michael Higgins who return as acapella commentators and the first film’s breakout star Rebel Wilson. However, some jokes feel fairly uncomfortably offensive (for example: any line from Chrissie Fit’s Flo, whose character begins and ends with ‘immigrant who can do backflips’), others fall flat (most notably, Snoop Dogg’s cameo) and the good ones don’t seem quite as uproarious as some from the first.

With regards to plot, its three years on from the first film and the Barden Bellas crash back to the bottom of the acapella group ladder after Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) suffers a wardrobe malfunction in a performance in front of the President. This accident gets them banned from competing on a national level and so to get this ban revoked, they seek to win the World Acapella Championships. This forms the main backbone of the film and more or less follows the same trajectory as the first film.

Where Pitch Perfect 2 branches out is everywhere else, where the group of girls are all facing graduation and some are dealing with the uncertainty of their future better than others. Beca (Anna Kendrick) is attempting to pursue her music producing dreams but faces trouble along the way, Chloe (Brittany Snow) seems to be in denial about the whole concept (after all she is a four-year senior)  and Fat Amy is running from commitment when her on-off lover Bumper (Adam DeVine) suggests they enter a real relationship. Meanwhile, aspiring songwriter Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) joins the group, seeking to gain the Bella experience her mother did.  Screenwriter, Kay Cannon mostly succeeds with developing these characters using these subplots, particularly with Becas which provides a really great and natural progression for the character. As a result, Pitch Perfect 2 is far less formulaic and more character driven than its predecessor, a welcome and pleasing development.

The rest of the girls remain the one-dimensional stock characters they were in the first film and perhaps have even less time than they did in the first film, likely to make room for Wilson’s increased role as well as Steinfeld’s character, which is a shame considering the talent amongst them. Beca’s love interest, Jesse (Skylar Astin) and their former rivals, the Treblemakers also have significantly reduced roles, allowing the awesome European champions, Das Sound Machine to fill the screen, who contribute several outstanding musical numbers to the film.

Overall, Pitch Perfect 2 is a blast from start to finish and is in many ways better than its predecessor through its better development of characters and slightly less clichéd plot. Its humour and musical numbers don’t hit quite as many highs as the first one, but they are still good enough to guarantee a thoroughly enjoyable musical experience. Finally, its just very refreshing to see a female-led and female-directed film promoting friendship and success from females in the mainstream film industry and being such a huge success!

★★★½

Ramblings:

• 'Bisexual Beca Mitchell' is truly alive, with the constant 'Bechloe' references and Beca's adorable mini-crush on DSM leader Kommissar (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen).
• I didn't touch at all on the Emily-Benji (Ben Platt) romantic subplot in the main review, mostly cause I didn't have much to say on it other than it was kinda cute, if not unnecessary.
• Anna Camp's return as former leader, Aubrey was surprisingly hilarious ("We don't believe in ladders, they suggest a corporate hierarchy that is counter-productive to my programme")
• Seeing Pentatonix and a host of other acapella groups performing in the Finale at the end of the film was a cool surprise and hearing these groups sing in their native dialects was a great touch.
• The film also brings abroad Katey Sagal, Keegan-Michael Key and David Cross in smaller roles who are all reliably funny, particularly Key as the record label head. 
• Whoever had the idea of the Green Bay Packers being an acapella group and singing Bootylicious in the 'Riff-Off' is a genius and deserves a raise. Such a bizarre and hilarious little bit!
• I kinda want the third movie to have the Background Bellas (Ashley and Jessica) in the lead roles, just cause they were too cute together and I love a good underdog.