| My rating | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critics | Audience | Critics | Audience | |
| 7/10 | 63/100 | 7.1/10 | 66% | 74% |
You don’t even have to live in the U.S. to know that music competition is very popular here (or any kind of competition, for that matter). The amount of reality shows involving music or regular TV shows can prove that (The Voice, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Glee, etc.) So it’s no surprise that this national preference would eventually move to the big screen. What did surprise me, however, was the huge box office of “Pitch Perfect 2”: US$ 228 million so far worldwide, already US$100 million more than its 2011 original movie.
This sequel tells what happened to the Bellas after winning the a cappella championship in the previous movie. The opening number is performed for President Obama and the First Lady. Things however, go terribly wrong, mainly because of Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and the Bellas are expelled from all competitions. In order to regain their status, they have to win an international competition, which was never won by an American team. There is conflict in the group during the process, just like in the first movie, especially between Beca (Anna Kendrick) and Chloe (Brittany Snow).
The plot is, therefore, as predictable as the first movie, but what makes it interesting are the songs performed. I really enjoy the mash-ups they do of already known songs and the new musical arrangements given to them. Apart from that, the jokes weren’t really that funny. Of course some of them work, but a lot of them fall flat, especially the ones involving Flo (Chrissie Fit), a new character who was probably introduced in this movie so there would be jokes about Mexicans (not only do the jokes not work, they are also extremely offensive to Mexicans). There were no laughs in the theater I was with these jokes. Moreover, the constant jokes about Rebel Wilson’s character also felt exhausting and repetitive. The best jokes were said by Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins, who play the hilarious commentators with politically incorrect points of view.
So the movie should be enjoyed mainly by its main purpose: the songs performances, especially during the competitions. Apart from that, it’s a story that probably won’t stay in the audience’s minds for much time.
