Pitch Perfect 2 – Film Review

It’s been three years since the Barden Bellas became the first all-female group to win a national title. All seems well until a botched Lincoln Center performance for the president leads to a scandal that strips them of their performing duties, causing internal tension and strife. With the world championships on the horizon in Copenhagen, Denmark, the women must get their act together for their one and only shot at redemption.

Given the critical and commercial success of 2012’s Pitch Perfect, a sequel was absolutely inevitable. I, sadly, did not get to experience that first film upon release but rather, many years later which is a shame because I feel as though Pitch Perfect 2 would’ve been hugely anticipated by me.

Either way, Elizabeth Banks‘ follow-up to the 2012 musical comedy is absolutely fantastic and hits a ton of emotional beats while also maintaining the first film’s hilarious sense of humor, while also progressing the characters that we know and love, forward. They are, at their core, the same Barden Bellas that we adore from the first film, but seeing as how this film takes place several years after the first film, a lot has changed in their lives.

The group’s lead Beca Mitchell has gotten an internship at a recording studio that she loves to attend, but she can’t help but dream of what it would be like for her to actually write and produce music of her own one day. But when she finally gets a promising opportunity, she is forced to decide whether she wants to pursue this exciting opportunity or stick with the Barden Bellas – the group that initially gave her her voice.

This creates for an interesting dynamic and also makes Beca’s character so much more interesting. Anna Kendrick is an absolute delight and is one of the best actresses of our generation, and they really couldn’t have picked a better actress for this character. She’s quirky, hilarious, and full of fire when she needs to be.

It’s also just so much fun to see this group back in action and seeing their banter is hysterical. They may have their disagreements about certain things and a lot of their personalities don’t match up, but at the end of the day, they’re all each other’s family and they’ll have each other’s backs through thick and thin.

This film also introduces a few new faces including a German a capella group known as Das Sound Machine, lead by Kommissar, who promises to take down the Bellas. Are these “villain” characters really all that intimidating? No. To be honest, they’re kind of hilariously poorly depicted. They just feel like a bunch of cartoon characters populating an otherwise grounded comedy.

Easily the best new addition to the franchise here is Hailee Steinfeld as Emily Junk, who has quite an interesting backstory. Her mother, Katherine, used to be a Barden Bella back when she was younger, and she frequently gives her daughter advice as to how she can fit in with the group. Emily’s journey is exciting, emotional, and fun.

While not quite as fantastic as the first, Pitch Perfect 2 is still a relentlessly enjoyable musical comedy that’ll put you in an infectiously good mood.