Pitch Perfect 2 Review

I rank comedies on a very simple scale- did it make me laugh? If it did then it did its job. Pitch Perfect 2 made me laugh.  Throw in some good music and you’ve got a fan!

In Utah and particularly my alma mater, BYU, acapella is a huge deal.  I went to many competitions to cheer on my favorite groups and we even had a team on the Sing Off a few years ago.  Acapella is just part of campus life in my book so the first Pitch Perfect had huge nostalgia points for me.

It also did the rare feet of being funny without being too vulgar. I still will frequently put it on and laugh my head off while listening to great music.

So how does Pitch Perfect 2 measure up to the original? Well, it’s a tough question because they are basically the same movie.  They totally do the whole Mighty Ducks 2 thing where you do the exact same plot but you have it be the World Championships instead of the Nationals.

That said, it still made me laugh.

You’ve got all the major players from Pitch Perfect 1 back plus the addition of Hailee Steinfeld as a new legacy freshman to the group.

I love these women!

Anna Kendrick is great even though Hailee Steinfeld is kind of playing her part from the first movie.  Rebel Wilson steals the movie once again and made me laugh every time she was on screen.  Her confidence as Fat Amy is just so likable, lovely and funny.

I kind of wish they had developed a few of the other Bellas a little more, and they do go back to the same joke a bit too many times.  For example, a Guatemalan girl named Flo is repeatedly given the immigrant joke and it was naughty the first time but got a little old after a while.

Elizabeth Banks (who directs) and John Michael Higgins return as the announcers and this time podcasters of the acappella world and they are hilarious.  Every time they are on screen it reminds of Fred Willard in Best in Show and cracked me up. I would love to know how much of their dialogue is improved like the Christopher Guest movies which Higgins is often in.

David Cross from Arrested Development appears briefly along with a cameo that has mostly been spoiled but I will let what few of you that haven’t heard of a certain new acapella team be surprised (was so funny!)

Keegan-Michael Key is very funny as Becca’s boss for an internship she gets at a record label.  He has this hipster employee that drives him crazy which made me laugh.

The plot is completely stupid.  Basically a wardrobe malfunction happens and the Bellas are suspended from national competition.  However, they can compete at the World Championships (see totally Mighty Ducks 2).  The big competition is a German team called Das Sound Machine.

For the most part they are the cliched German bad guys but they are given some funny interactions with the girls and they are pretty good singers.  I liked that it at least seemed like a fair fight.

The boys are mostly relegated to a few scenes which is fine with me.  We need more female heavy pictures especially with female directors!

Adam DeVine is probably in it the most of the young men and he is very funny as Rebel Wilson’s love interest. His idea of a romantic meal totally cracked me up.

In the end Pitch Perfect 2 isn’t creative or different but I can’t deny that it made me laugh and I loved the music. If you didn’t like the first one and didn’t find it funny than you won’t like this.  It’s as simple as that.  I did so I liked this.  It isn’t as good because first is always best but still I really enjoyed it.

Humor is completely subjective.  What makes one laugh may leave another stone faced and cold but I at least appreciate a comedy that isn’t completely raunchy like we were getting for a while.  There is nothing in Pitch Perfect 2 that made me want to cringe like in the Judd Apatow movies.

For some reason a lot of people that read this blog don’t like comedies.  I don’t really get that. I like to laugh probably more than I like dramas. I also love musicals.  In other words, Pitch Perfect 3- sign me up!

As far as content there is a scene at the beginning where a woman is exposed off camera and it is discussed. There’s talk of making out and sex but it is all pretty tame.  That’s about it.

Overall Grade- B-, Content Grade A

Any of you see it?  Did you think it was funny too?