advertisement

Musical second 'Pitch' almost perfect

It's "you go girls!" time when Elizabeth Banks' frothy directorial debut "Pitch Perfect 2" becomes that Hollywood rarity: a sequel that duplicates the characters and comic texture of its original hit without recycling too many jokes and tripping all over the fun.

"Pitch Perfect 2" not only dispenses with a classic villain figure (although the testosterone-tossing Teutonic a cappella group Da Sound Machine certainly qualifies), but with leading men as well.

This is a sole sisterhood movie without traveling pants or divine ya-ya secrets, a crisply written, musical and comical celebration of young women sharing their lives, dreams and talents in a world not dominated by men, but reluctantly shared with them.

"Pitch 2" opens with a Britney Spears-level wardrobe malfunction at the Lincoln Center where the audience - including President Barack Obama in cheesy insert shots - witnesses Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) accidentally showing the world she's gone commando with no underwear during a performance by the Barden College Bellas a cappella group.

Shrieking network commentators go through the expected litanies of social outrage in a neatly boxed montage that precedes punishment from the national a cappella league: the Bellas can no longer compete on the college circuit.

But wait!

Bellas stalwart Chloe (reprised by Brittany Snow) negotiates a deal. If the Bellas can win the coveted World Championship in Copenhagen - something no U.S. team has done - the Bellas get a clean slate.

So, the Bellas band together, with Chloe, leader Beca (Anna Kendrick), super-quiet Korean singer Lilly (Hana Mae Lee) and African-American lesbian Cynthia Rose (Ester Dean) preparing for acoustical warfare.

They get two new recruits in Latin American exchange student Flo (Chrissie Fit) - a disappointingly one-note character tossing out stereotypical comments for laughs - and Emily Junk ("True Grit" star Hailee Steinfeld), a wide-eyed, enthusiastic daughter of a first generation Bella, Katherine (Katey Sagal).

A subplot follows Beca's dream of becoming a music producer. She takes an internship at a recording studio run by an exasperated producer desperate for creative input.

This, of course, distracts her from the Bellas prime directive to win the World Championship and creates tensions between the singers.

"Pitch Perfect 2" is almost as fun and endearing as the 2012 original, directed with visual verve by Jason Moore.

Banks assumes the director's chair here with utter confidence, cracking a whip on the quick-cut editing and slowing things down just enough to catch some character development before zipping on to the next spellbinding production number.

Don't worry. Banks reprises her role as Gail who rejoins John Michael Higgins in providing hilarious, anti-PC off-color commentary as an in-house Greek chorus.

"This," John says of the upcoming championship, "could be the most significant conflict between America and Germany in history!"

If "Pitch Perfect 2" offers a lighter plot and less romance this time around, that's OK.

Returning screenwriter Kay Cannon uses a shotgun blast of one-liners and a battery of sight gags to keep this movie vibrant without being verbose.

Kendrick, fresh from the musicals "The Last Five Years" and "Into the Woods," provides Beca with a seasoned air in strong contrast to Steinfeld's youthful bumbling. (Could she be the key to continuing a "Pitch" franchise?)

Wilson shot to instant stardom with her sassy, brassy lassie in the first "Pitch." Here, she shares the limelight with Kendrick as an equal. She also gets the biggest romance in the story with crooner Bumper (Adam Devine) in a gut-busting duet of Pat Benatar's "We Belong" song.

In the movie's single lapse of good judgment, Cannon resurrects a foolish bit in which Bumper asks Amy for sex and she says, "No!" Then gives him a wink.

This plays into a culturally dangerous, false male presumption that women don't really mean it when they say no.

In a comedy filled with do-re-mi, this tactless bit brings us back to d'oh!

“Pitch Perfect 2”

★ ★ ★

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, John Michael Higgins

Directed by: Elizabeth Banks

Other: A Universal Pictures release. Rated PG-13 for sexual innudendo and language. 114 minutes

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.