"Very musical but generic and too cliche."
In 2012, artists and music enthusiasts around the world were
rocked to the core as Anna Kendrick’s Beca Mitchell sang “When I’m Gone” while
playing cups in Pitch Perfect. The movie was a sleeper hit, staying in the box
office hit for a long time in many countries around the world. Now, Beca and
the Barden Bellas are back to sing again in the sequel Pitch Perfect 2. Is there melody better this time? Or do they miss
the mark that the first movie had set?
The film opens with the Barden Bellas performing for President
Obama and the First Lady at the Kennedy Center. The group is now enjoying the
status of being at the top of their game as a cappella group. However, a
scandalous mishap happens when Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), making a sky-high
entrance to Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball,” wrecks her too-tight Spandex
britches. As she struggles to stay afloat in the fiber straps, the rip
continues to expand, exposing her overwhelming well-kept secrets (apparently
not secrets anymore) to the President and to the rest of the world. The
embarrassment sends devastating repercussions to the team. Suspended and unable
to compete and do their tour, the Barden Bellas must redeem themselves by
participating in the international a cappella competition, even though US has
never ever bagged the championship title, and even up against the dreaded
German team. But first and foremost, the group must reunite and fine tune their
harmonies again.
Pitch Perfect 2
runs for approximately two hours with nothing much happening. It is very
predictable and the plot is similar to the first film, although now, the events
are much grander in scheme (global recognition!). Essentially, the story goes
the same way – the Bellas face incriminating humiliation, them becoming
underdogs, then someone new comes to give a breath of fresh air, some sort of
retreat and team-building happens, and finally they triumph. The movie is
congested with too much music that characters failed to develop into people we
will deeply root for, maybe except for Beca. Still, it feels like Beca have
been bullied or belittled several times in the movie – about her height, looks
and even her talents (Glee alert!).
If Beca had been the catalyst for change in the first movie,
it is Emily Junk (Hailee Steinfeld) this time. She brought something new to the
team with her song-writing skills. Similar to Beca, she failed to shine in the
first showdown but her talent had made the big difference in the end. But
unlike Beca, Emily Junk had no solid backstory to make us cheer for her. She
lingered in the background, contented of being just an accessory to the team
instead of stepping up for her voice to be heard. She could possibly lead Pitch
Perfect 3 (if there is), but it will still be Beca who will pull the audiences.
Pitch Perfect 2 is
undeniably funny; thanks mostly to Rebel Wilson (Fat Amy) whose natural flare
for comedy is flawless and brilliant. But what happened to Hana Mae Lee? Why was
her character Lilly Onakurama reduced to an insignificant gibberish at the
sideline? Where is everybody else? What happened to the drama queens in the
previous film? And why is John Michael Higgins being so mean as the commentator
John Smith? His remarks on a cappella singers being too ugly to be cheerleaders
and about some ladyboys from the Philippines are all too familiar. Is that you
Sue Sylvester (Glee alert again!)? Or just your copycat?
The best thing about the movie is really its music – the selection,
arrangement and mixing. Very noteworthy is the showdown at the mansion. The songs
are great, very familiar and relevant and the spontaneity of the moment is just
believable. Though that scene took a substantial amount of time out of the
film, it was very entertaining and engaging. The second showdown towards the
end was kind of a let-down. The participants from other countries appeared to be
mediocre, uninteresting and lacklustre (c’mon that an international competition!).
The original composition performed by the Bellas is praiseworthy though; it is
current, moving and refreshing. It is just a wonder why are the old Bellas were
onstage. Is that allowed in any show choir competition?
In general, as alerted
throughout, Pitch Perfect 2 is a
perfect retelling of television hit show Glee (particularly season 1 and 2) on
the big screen. They follow the same formula – a group of underdogs with extra
ordinary talents and who, after being trashed and bullied, rise up to be
champions. Using original songs in a competition is very Glee-like, too. But unlike
Glee, the movie is not very successful in establishing solid connection between
the cast and the audience. So in the end, it is not the Bellas that we loved
and came to see. It’s their beautiful mash-ups and exciting songs that made us
want to see them in cinemas and everywhere else.
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