Pitch Perfect 2. Rated M (sexual references). 115 minutes. Directed by Elizabeth Banks. Screenplay by Kay Cannon.
Verdict: A hugely entertaining sequel that lights up the big screen.
As surely as the sun will set, sequels to smash hit movies will eventually find their way onto our cinema screens. In the case of this sequel to Pitch Perfect (2012), it’s a welcome relief to discover that instead of trying, unsuccessfully, to reinvent what worked the first time around, Banks (making an assured feature-length directorial debut) and Cannon (Pitch Perfect, 30 Rock), play to all the first film’s undeniable strengths and deliver a sequel that is almost superior to its predecessor.
After a disastrous televised live performance in front of the President and First Lady of the United States, the Bellas are suspended from auditioning new members and from performing in the US. Facing the end of their dreams of a capella stardom, the girls discover a loophole in the terms of their suspension, which means that they can compete in the European titles in Copenhagen. The big challenge will be regaining the confidence to take on their nemesis, German supergroup Das Sound Machine.
One of the key aspects to the success of a sequel is ensuring that as many of the original cast members return to reprise their roles, a feat that Pitch Perfect 2 has achieved with great success. While the performances are effervescent, the standout is Cannon’s screenplay, which is the perfect fusion of musicality, personal drive and ambition, romance (although thankfully nothing too tense or complicated) and some fantastic laughs, of which Rebel Wilson (Fat Amy) and Adam DeVine (Bumper) get the majority share with which to have an absolute ball. Wilson (who clowns with the very best of them) canoeing across a huge lake to woo Bumper, is just one of the hilarious sequences that is guaranteed to have you laughing like you won’t have laughed in the cinema yet this year.
This review was commissioned by the West Australian Newspaper Group.
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