Pitch Perfect 2

An undemanding women’s team movie that not only retains the freshness of the first instalment, but is also more consistent as a female variation on the gross-out comedy. With its coarseness and self-awareness, it comes close to Ben Stiller’s Dodgeball at moments without diminishing its “feminine” power. The film’s leitmotif consists in the search for a distinctive sound. The girls are taught to adopt other’s words (and music), but they can move forward (in their personal lives, in their careers, in the competition) only when they let their own voices soar. Success lies in their own talent and cooperation, not in following rules, but in breaking them. They will not let men make decisions for them (therefore Amy says no at the romantic dinner, which was prepared in such a way that she would succumb to her emotions and say yes). Like the protagonists, the film is not governed by patriarchal formulas. It does not present heterosexual romance as the main or only source of happiness, but rather downplays or sidelines it (Benji and Emily), men are more often the objects of sexist jokes, the central storyline does not follow the battle of the (different) sexes, but the battle of a perfect woman (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen) with women who have flaws and weaknesses, but are not ashamed of them. Despite all of my sympathy for the film due to its light pop feminist subversion, I cannot forgive its lack of focus (almost the entire first half is in the spirit of “let’s have fun” without any significant plot development) or the needless stretching of some scenes (the singing battle in the eccentric millionaire’s house). However, the high-octane musical numbers, flawlessly coordinated actresses (Rebel Wilson steals almost every scene with a well-timed line, and thanks to the reactions of the others) and continuous playing with stereotypes stop me from brushing off Pitch Perfect 2 with an average rating. 75% (15/05/2015)

The forced scenes with bizarre humor have disappeared and leaves only a distinct directorial touch by Elizabeth Banks and, above all, the recognizable face of the entire Pitch Perfect brand. Where the first installment was just clumsily trying to be a relaxed genre flick, the second installment aims much more precisely and gracefully rises above all the obvious clichés of competition films. And it won't be prevented by the unnecessary storyline with Becca on her internship, because Anna Kendrick obviously nails everything. But the real triumph is Rebel Wilson and her unreserved vocabulary. This girl can say literally anything and it still comes out as a memorable gem. Continuing with another film now seems unnecessary to me, because it will be forced to cannibalize itself, but I will gladly take a risk with the Bellas one more time. (20/09/2015)

I liked the first one, and basically I like the second one just as much. I need very little - Anna, Rebel, and the other girls, and on top of that great songs that have good a cappella arrangements. I've already noticed that this is really crucial for me with some movies. And here is the example, even though the film doesn't surprise me overall. (10/08/2015)

I already mentioned all the positives and negatives in my review of the first movie, which was basically the same. The only improvement is that it managed to do without scenes involving vomit and other fecal stuff, so a cautious thumbs up. (11/09/2015)