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Pitch Perfect 2
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson
3/5
If you were in any doubt as to how huge the Pitch Perfect franchise has become, the fact that the sequel has cameos by Snoop Dogg, and Barack and Michelle Obama, might convince you.
Who could have predicted that a female-driven comedy about the obscure a cappella community – where groups perform hit tracks using only their voices as instruments – would become something of a cult classic?
Now director and producer Elizabeth Banks, who also plays nutcase a cappella championship commentator Gail in the movie, is back with Pitch Perfect 2, and with a bigger budget than ever. Apparently the movie cost about $29 million (R351 million) to make, 70% more than the original.
In this version, the Barden Bellas must recover from a humiliating performance in which, through a series of unfortunate events, the rambunctious Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) finds herself hanging upside down from the ceiling, her spandex leotard split, flashing her nether regions to the US president. The group’s redemption lies in winning an international a cappella competition in which no American team has found success.
But really, who cares about the plot? Pitch Perfect has always been about the singing – and the sequel doesn’t disappoint.
Fans can expect camp renditions of old and new hits, such as Beyoncé’s Run The World (Girls), Lauryn Hill’s That Thing and Destiny’s Child’s Bootylicious.
But while it’s mostly a deliciously fun ride, the sequel falters on a note or two. The movie’s hit status has attracted some rather irksome product placement. I counted Volkswagen, Pantene, Beats by Dre, Apple and a Norwegian mineral water called Voss – and I probably missed a couple.
As much as I love Wilson’s Fat Amy character, she’s a little overused. The film also plays into the typical American pitfall of framing everything that’s not American as weird. The Barden Bellas’ archrivals, the Das Sound Machine, are some of the most hopelessly stereotyped Germans in the history of cinema. Yes, I get that it’s supposed to be camp, but it also comes across as American ignorance.
So what stops Pitch Perfect 2 from bombing? Lead actor Anna Kendrick, yes, but new director Banks should get full credit. While Tina Fey and Amy Poehler get most of the kudos when it comes to funny women in Hollywood, Banks is underrated as a bona fide hilarious talent with impeccable comedic timing.
Her direction ensures Pitch Perfect 2 sits on the right side of the thin line that divides camp and fun from cheesy and overwrought. The movie works because it never takes itself too seriously – and, luckily, it draws fans who don’t either.
get most of the kudos when it comes to funny women in Hollywood, Banks is underrated as a bona fide hilarious talent with impecable comedic timing. Her direction ensures that Pitch Perfect 2 sits on the right side of the thin line that divides camp and fun with cheesy and overwrought.
The movie works because it never takes itself too seriously, and luckily it draws fans who don’t either. Go check it out, it will be the most fun you’ll have in a movie theatre this year.
