Pitch Perfect 2

The big winner of the weekend is Elizabeth Banks. Who? The director, producer, and supporting star of the sequel to 2012’s surprise girl-power comedy hit. Budgeted at just $29 million, it has a domestic gross of $64 million in its first weekend, blowing away Mad Max: Fury Road, and knocking Avengers 2: Age of Ultron from its box office perch. Pitch Perfect 2 is primed to do well internationally as well, and looks to destroy 2012’s $115 million take (variety.com). Not bad for a directorial debut.

PP2 picks up three years after the first installment. Beca (Anna Kendrick) and her crew of a Capella debutantes are fresh off of three straight collegiate singing championships. A mishap in front of President Obama and the millions of Youtube hits that follow leave the Barden College Belles banned from competition with one caveat. Win the worlds, and get reinstated. They pick up a new recruit, a Belle legacy named Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) and battle the German uber-group, Das Sound Machine, who are the singing equivalent of Ivan Drago.

The film follows the formula of the first very closely. Light and fluffy is a safe way to play it with lots of catchy songs, some mashed up and some just done with vocal flair. Sticking to a riff-off (with some nice cameos), some comedic romance, and a modest amount of character conflict, there isn’t much surprising or even clever about the plot. There is the big finale with groups showing their best stuff, and I must say, Journey’s “Any Way You Want It” performed in different languages has never been better.

The draw for me isn’t the humor, but the music. I can’t be the only one who has the secret karaoke fantasy that is the lives of these ladies (and gentlemen). I was a little disappointed in some of the selections, but a 36 year old man clearly isn’t the target demographic. They threw me a bone with some early 90’s hip hop, Journey, and Pat Benatar. Musically, the German super group bullies the Belles, but there is always more comedy than competition between the crews and that keeps the tone of the film in line with its predecessor in terms of positivity and fun. Throw in the Green Bay Packers in a scene that parodies an illegal underground gambling ring hosted by David Cross, and you know it’s a good time.

Keegan Michael-Key and John Michael Higgins steal the show in my opinion. Key plays Beca’s boss with his typical sharp-tongued wit, constantly denigrating his interns. He’s honestly one of the funniest guys around. If you haven’t seen Key and Peele, and you’re into sketch comedy, check it out. Higgins brings the vapid podcast commentator to another level with his racist, sexist, and generally inappropriate comments.

The rest of the cast is mostly filler, with Adam Devine getting a bit more screen time as Bumper, and Rebel Wilson’s Fat Amy as the butt of most of the jokes. The fat jokes get old, even if most of them are self-deprecating and not mean-spirited. The Belles are still the motley crew we saw in the first film; the hot sexually aggressive one, the black lesbian, the Guatemalan who is always one-upping the sob stories, the creep Asian girl who barely talks, and the bubbly optimistic blonde. It’s an eclectic bunch, but they work well together.

There are absolutely no surprises when you walk into Pitch Perfect 2. You get what you pay for, and it delivers music, comedy, and a genuine feel good experience. It’s a bit of fun, but I can’t imagine a third film in the franchise. Of course, stranger things have happened. 6/10.