The standard formula for sequel-making is easy to remember: do it again, only bigger. Elizabeth Banks has taken this to heart while working both sides of the camera. Pitch Perfect 2 marks her feature directorial debut but she's still fully visible as one half of the insult-comic pundits that barrage the acapella groups with shade as we watch them perform. The absurd notion of live commentary during vocal performances continues to be a pretty good unspoken joke unto itself so naturally Gail (Banks) and John (John Michael Higgins), have larger roles this time. They're like the Waldorf & Statler to the Bardem Bella's Muppets only hornier and way more intrusive. The comparison may be fusty but so is the jokey tone - vaudeville sized in its caricature driven gags and completely shameless at wringing laughs from crude, repetitive and stereotype-loving jokes. In fact, it's so broadly cartoonish that it's easy to imagine virtually any of the cast members as muppets, especially Fat Amy (née Fat Patricia).
Who among you didn't visualize Rebel Wilson as a Muppet just now; the resemblance is uncanny!
If you're looking for realism or three dimensional characters or non-offensive gags (this movie is, like the first, an equal opportunity offender), you've come to the wrong movie. And even maybe the wrong genre. Thankfully Pitch Perfect 2 understands that it's a broad silly musical comedy sequel to a surprise hit, rather than a character comedy or a dramedy. That's kind of a relief though it blows its arguably most clever and self aware joke over the opening credits -- it's the most enjoyable corporate logo shot in a movie in quite a long time.
The plot, such as it is, involves a vindictive punishment from Gail & John that will disband the Bellas for the crimes of Fat Amy's wardrobe malfunction in the opening scene, unless they win the World Championship. But to do that they'll have to defeat the reigning Champs, a German group headlined by Kommissar (Danish actress Birgitte Hjort Sørensen) and Pieter (Youtube star Flula Borg) physically intimidating Deutch specimens. Pitch Perfect 2's jokes are weaker than its predecessors but make lemonade you know? Beca's (Anna Kendrick) inability to make a good insult joke when faced with the perfection of the Germans is an unexpected running highlight.
[Fart Noise]
All of which is not to say that Pitch Perfect 2 is a "good" movie or even that its equal to its predecessor. Pitch Perfect 2 skimps on pretty much everything but the jokes and the music. Its tendency to montage (the pillow fight montage is inexplicable) is especially unfortunate. It it actually worked out gags to go with the threadbare plot moments, it could've gone a long way towards making the movie feel like a real film and not just a victory lap for a surprise hit.
As befitting its haphazard nature it keeps missing great opportunities to insure more sequels. All of the new characters are winners, which is a feat unto itself. That's even true in unexpected places. I expected Beca's B plot internship to be the movie's dead zone but it's not. Keegan-Michael Key totally elevates all of those potentially flat scenes as her exasperated boss despite not even getting a name in the credit; he's just "Beca's Boss". And with the lone exception of Hailee Steinfeld, the most adorable she's ever been as the freshman "legacy" member, it seems insane to make her the only new character who could reasonably continue in a sequel. The only other new Bella is Flo (Chrissie Fit, who gets the most offensive racial stereotype jokes but totally sells them) and they make her a senior, too. WHY? That's just dumb for franchise longevity. So maybe no organic 3 but this 2 gets its number 1 job done: to provide plenty of new laughs wrung from familiar old jokes and a great time with your friends at the movies. (Just don't expect a great movie.)
Grade: C+
Oscar Chances: er, no. Unless that flashlight song "written" by Hailee Steinfeld's character is an original in which case, maybe. And wouldn't acapella be fun at the Oscars?