With Snoop Dogg, the Green Bay Packers, and Mr. and Mrs. Obama…Who didn’t “Pitch Perfect 2” feature?!
The Barden Bellas are back! On May 16th, the sequel to “Pitch Perfect ” was released, with big shoes and vocal chords to fill. Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and Brittnay Snow all returned for the second installment with small appearances from favorites like Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, and Ben Platt. “Pitch Perfect 2” also welcomed a newcomer to the Bellas, Hailee Steinfeld.
“Pitch Perfect 2” takes place three years after the Barden Bellas made their permanent mark at Barden University their freshman year in “Pitch Perfect. ” Now seniors, the Bellas seem to have lost their “voice.” After a performance-gone-wrong situation featuring Fat Amy and a “wardrobe malfunction” seen around the world, the Barden Bellas face suspension from the a cappella world. However, the Bellas are given the opportunity to regain their title and status if they enter and win the world championships of a cappella in Copenhagen. There is one movie-plot-twisting catch: no American group has ever won the championships before. The Bellas main competition is a large, intimidating, and very good-looking German singing group, that since the Bellas suspension, have seem to have taken over their high reputation. In the midst of all of this, the Bellas also receive a new member, a legacy of the group, whose song-writing skills and naïveté bring a new level to the Bellas, possibly one that can help them persevere.
Like the first movie, “Pitch Perfect 2” is witty, quick, and laugh-out-loud funny. The music is amazing, focusing on current top 40 hits, with great mash-ups that are perfectly blended. With “Pitch Perfect 2” focusing a lot of its time on Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), you are in for a lot of quick, sometimes over-stepping jokes, and tear-jerking laughs. The movie also brings a somewhat feel of reality, with Beca (Anna Kendrick) focusing on her future, taking time away from the Bellas to work an internship, and with Chloe (Brittnay Snow) finally deciding to graduate from Barden University after seven years. The new Bella, Emily (Hailee Steinfeld), is charming, but sometimes annoying like any college freshman. Emily is swooned with a surprising love interest, leaving us viewers confused, and questionable of her taste in men. “Pitch Perfect 2” shares the same charm of the first movie, but isn’t expressed as perfectly “in-tune” as the first. “Pitch Perfect 2” is just like any other sequel to a popular original movie. While “Pitch Perfect 2” is just about as funny as the first, there are a few plot line holes that didn’t seem to come together at the end. “Pitch Perfect 2” is a happy but predictable film.
Would I see it again? Yes, because I was laughing in my seat the entire time. While it is a predictable film, it is a movie that makes the audience happy and allows them to forget about the stresses of life for a bit—perfect for upcoming finals here at Drexel. With rumors of a “Pitch Perfect 3,” this may not be the last time we see some of the Barden Bellas. However, my vote is to scratch that idea and just make a Fat Amy spin-off.