“Pitch Perfect,” the musical comedy that centered around the world of competitive collegiate a cappella, became a surprise hit and highlighted a cappella as a cultural phenomenon after it’s release three years ago. The film, based on the novel “Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate A Cappella Glory,” which features the University’s very own Hullabahoos, chronicled the fictional all-female a cappella group The Barden Bellas as they went from a band of misfits to musical champions.
“Pitch Perfect 2” picks up three years after its predecessor. The Bellas have been prohibited from singing in competitions and will be forced to disband unless they can win the world tournament. Meanwhile, the Bellas’ leader, Beca (Anna Kendrick), begins an internship at a major record label, a fact she hides from her fellow Bellas.
As the Bellas face graduation and the transition into the real world, they must come together to find their harmony and defeat their nemesis, rival a cappella group Das Sound Machine, to avoid being disbanded.
While “Pitch Perfect 2” has plenty of laughs and fun musical numbers, it doesn’t quite capture the magic of the first movie. Rather than focusing on the characters that made the original so special, the movie wastes time on new, unlikeable characters and pointless storylines. A good example of this is new Bella member Emily (Hailee Steinfeld), who tries to be dorky and lovable but instead comes off as just annoying since the audience is given no reason to love her. Steinfeld’s acting is painfully awkward, and she just doesn’t fit in with the others.
An inordinate amount of screentime is also dedicated to Emily’s forced and unnecessary romance with Benji (Ben Platt), a member of a rival a cappella group at Barden. As a result, Kendrick, as well as standouts from the first movie like Ester Dean as Cynthia-Rose and Skylar Astin as Jesse, are criminally underutilized.
“Pitch Perfect 2” gets a few things right, though. Rebel Wilson continues to shine as Fat Amy — the best scenes in the movie usually feature her. Keegan-Michael Key as Beca’s eccentric boss at the record label and David Cross as a flamboyant lover of all things a cappella also steal every scene they are in.
The musical numbers in “Pitch Perfect 2” are bigger and flashier than those in the first, and that’s just the way it should be. The climactic final performance at the world tournament is inspiring, and the Sia- and Sam Smith-penned “Flashlight” featured throughout the movie is surprisingly catchy.
While “Pitch Perfect 2” is clearly inferior to the original, fans of the first movie will still probably enjoy it. Despite its shortcomings, “Pitch Perfect 2” is a fun ride.'
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