When
the first Pitch Perfect movie came
out in 2012. I waited about four weeks to see it. I was disappointed that I
waited that long because I really enjoyed the movie, the music, the characters
and The Bellas coming together to win.
As
for Pitch Perfect 2, I was wondering
how the sequel would come together. So, I went the first weekend to find out
and I was so glad that I went. Pitch
Perfect 2 follows the same formula that worked in the first with some small
tweaks.
The
storyline begins years after the Bellas won their first A Capella national
championship. They have won ever since. Most of the Bellas are seniors. Now the
Bellas are performing at the Lincoln Center where President Obama and Mrs.
Obama are in attendance. The Bellas are performing well. Then, Fat Amy played
by Rebel Wilson is suspended above the stage in some sort of hanging
contraption. At one point of the song, Fat Amy does a flip and splits her pants
showing everything. The crowd was horrified including the first family which is
a very funny moment.
The
Bellas are suspended from performing anywhere by their college and the A Cappella
Society. With a loophole, The Bellas are able to compete in the World A
Cappella championships where no U.S A
Capella group has ever won.
If
a movie like Pitch Perfect 2 can have
a villain, it would be the German A Cappella team called Das Sound
Machine. Their lead singer, Kommissar
played by Birgitte Hjort Sorensen is very commanding and confident as she
belittles the Bellas when talking to them.
The
Bellas are a little intimidated by Das Sound Machine especially Beca played by
Anna Kendrick who is somewhat flustered and attracted to Kommissar. It is very
funny and cute how she deals with it.
Pitch Perfect 2
has some great moments such as the flirtatious exchange between Fat Amy and
Bumper played by Adam DeVince. Beca is doing an internship at a recording
studio with a producer played by Keegan-Michael Key where she discovers her real
talent. Hailee Steinfeld, who was a
standout in the movie True Grit, now
does it again as, Emily, a legacy Bella pledge. She is bright, enthusiastic and
the one to keep the Bellas tradition going.
One
of my favorite parts of the film was the musical riffoff at the home of a
millionaire type guy played by David Cross (Arrested Development). The Bellas,
Das Sound Machine and the Green Bay Packers, yes, the actually football players
such as Clay Matthews, David Bakhtiari, Don Barclay, Josh Sitton, T.J Lang and
Jordan Rodgers, with others groups competing against each other under certain
categories of music. The hilarious moments were how the groups were eliminated
from the competition.
In
the theater, I sat in the same row with a four to five year girl who said during
one of the performances, “Go Girl.” That's what made it so much fun to watch Pitch Perfect 2 with an audience.
One
of the strong element in the Pitch
Perfect movies is the music that is recognizable and easy for the audience
to sing a lot. It makes the movie such a
feel good experience. The Bellas singing a version When I Am Gone without the cups is worth the ticket price.
Actress
Elizabeth Banks who plays Gail, the commentator of the A Cappella competition
in the movie did an excellent job directing this follow-up.
Here is the trailer for Pitch Perfect 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bh4mvJ5jUg
