The Pitch is Back.
And it will be back for a third installment. You can carve that in stone after we learned
this weekend that the only thing that can beat Mad Max is the Bellas of Barden
University to the tune of $70M at the domestic box office (to Mad Max: Fury Road’s
$44M). Between Pitch Perfect 2 and
Furious 7, it’s been a good year at the cinema for Universal and all this
success no doubt has left their deep pocketed but suddenly frugal neighbors
down the street in Burbank feeling green with envy.
But all the financial success aside, Pitch Perfect 2 is very
much the same movie as its predecessor only it’s different. The movie is different from Pitch 1 in that
the plot and its characters are meaner, more cynical, and thus a little less
likable. And it’s the same as its
predecessor in that the creative team knows the film’s audience, knows what
that fan base loves about the first movie, and gives them the exact same
formula – fluffy story lines and snarky pulp references dressed up with catchy
acapela mashups of pop hits from yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
There is something to be said for the ole saying, “if it
ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but there’s a lot of truth to the caveat of “going
back to the well one too many times.”
And while I muster up every possible cliché in the book to describe the
experience of watching this movie, what I am trying to say is that this movie
is not fun enough and its characters not likable enough to offset the
been-there-done-that feeling that pervades this film. See formula below:
Act 1: Bellas find themselves in a bit of a pickle.
Act 2: Bellas try to come together but have a falling out
while trying to remedy the issues in Act 1.
Act 3: Bellas reconcile and put things back together to
deliver a rousing musical performance.
Like I said, been-there-done-that. In a lot of ways, Anna Kendrick’s careers arc
is emblematic of Pitch Perfect’s in that Kendrick used to be the cool plucky
underdog in Hollywood on the fringe of the big-time churning out good
performances here and there in movies such as Up in the Air and 50/50. Then somewhere along the way (really, after
the first Pitch Perfect), she became a big star not only for her acting skills,
but also for her vocals and social media savvy.
And as her star shined brighter and brighter, her sharp sarcasm started
to play less charming and more the product of unwarranted ego. In much the same way, Pitch Perfect 2 feels
less charming and more obnoxious – no doubt the product of the cult status its
predecessor received during its post-theatrical life.
That’s not to say that the movie is not funny. There is a lot of fun to be had with the
supporting cast – Rebel Wilson (Fat Amy), Adam Devine (Bumper), Snoop Dog
(Snoop Dog), and Keegan-Michael Key (Becca’s Boss) supply plenty of laughter,
but Kendrick’s Becca is the rock upon which this foundation is built and whether
its her performance or the way the character is written, it never really comes
together for her. She’s no longer the
too-cool-for-school outsider who realizes that friends do matter, but instead
the too-cool-for-school insider who decides maybe they don’t matter as much
until maybe they really do.
But very little of what I has to say here really matters,
because if you were all in on the first movie, then nothing will really change
how you feel, especially if you are anything like the Kool-Aid drinking crowd
that I watched the movie with – a crowd that buzzed with anticipation when even
David Cross came on screen. And if you
are someone who has to see the movie because the person you are with wants to
see the movie, then well, you’re going to see it and endure it because you have
to. Just don’t expect a “Cups” moment or
any originality. This one’s for the congregation and there’s
no need to preach. They’re going to love
it. And for the non-believers, well, not
all the music is rubbish so there’s that.
Since movie will be an A+ to those who really want to see
it, and a D to those who really don’t, I’ll Split the difference and call it a
C+.
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