Thursday, May 14, 2015

Pitch Perfect 2 Review - 2½ Stars


Fans of “Pitch Perfect” might brace themselves for a letdown from the sequel “Pitch Perfect 2.” The original wowed audiences with the story of the Bellas - a capella singers, who come to embrace their goofiness while finding love and themselves in the process. “Pitch Perfect” also added to the star power of Anna Kendrick, who continually dazzles audiences with her singing. acting and personality. She returns for “Pitch Perfect 2″ as a college senior ready to move to the next phase of her life. The story opens with an outrageous gag, in which the Bellas perform for President Obama at the Kennedy Center. The very large Rebel Wilson returns as Fat Amy, and hogs most of this film. Her opening gag involves a ripped costume and no underwear, which gets the group banned from further competition. Fat Amy is funny but not quite funny or nuanced enough to carry the entire movie, which the filmmakers seem to want her to do. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld is pleasant as a freshman team member. We never feel that the Bellas are in any danger of not being allowed to perform somewhere - anywhere. Their competition, which they must defeat for the world title is a German group called Das Sound Machine. The Germans never feel threatening. “Pitch Perfect 2″ has some laugh out loud moments and plenty of the word play, that made the original so fun. It just feels like it tries too hard. Does it deliver what it promises? More Pitch Perfect. Is it entertaining? Might be good enough for fans? Is it worth the price of admission? If you loved the original.