John Michael Higgins as co-leader of the collegiate a capella association and the podcast host is supposed to be a send-up of the bigoted and misogynistic commentary you often hear from sportscasters. I understand what first-time director Elizabeth Banks and screenwriter Kay Cannon were going for. The film doesn’t feel full until we see her in all her drill sergeant like glory. He’s great and confident in himself, yet supportive of his successful girlfriend. However, he’s supportive and I’m glad he and Beca don’t have some reset or rehash of issues via sequelitis. Jesse has a much reduced role, and I wonder if some of Skylar Astin’s scenes were left on the cutting room floor. One that actually leads to rephrasing Sir Mix-a-Lot lyrics to be respectful toward women. Benji is back with a cute and awkward flirtation with Emily. Bumper gets fleshed out as that poor guy who couldn’t make it in the real world and, after learning some humility, legitimately seems to be an open, vulnerable and decent person. Similarly, work scenes allow us to see her boss yell at his hipster nephew (and resident office idiot Dax), and it’s hysterical. He’s honest and pushes her to be better by digging into her original voice. He’s a jerk, but only because he’s always on a deadline with lots of pressure. Her boss is hilarious, but incredibly competent and honest. What can I say? Overall I think Rebel Wilson did. It’s especially gratifying to see the new group twist on the staple of the first film: it’s breakout single “ Cups.” The final performance in Copenhagen is especially moving and focuses on sisterhood, girl power songs, and really hits the heart of a legacy like the Bellas or a sorority-like group. Moreover, the fire scene, where they’re genuinely sharing their fears about graduation with each other, is moving. Similarly, the interlude where the girls go to an executive retreat camp to team build to me is the best part of the film because we feel grounded again with Aubrey ( Anna Camp) in the lead. This time around, the riff-off shouldn’t work at all and has a nonsensical yet hilarious cameo by the Green Bay Packers, but it’s far more enjoyable than the first film’s version. Overall, this is used as the thin plot and subplots for key set pieces that are bigger and better than the original. Finally, Fat Amy, fleshed out to basically a co-lead of the film, struggles with commitment issues and agonizes over a decision whether or not to officially date Bumper ( Adam Devine). ![]() ![]() College films about freshman year and partying are common those that address the anxiety seniors face when graduating and “What next” are rare, and this handled that story line well. She’s torn between her time with the Bellas and the needs of a new internship for her record producer boss, played by Keegan-Michael Key in a scene stealing role. Second, I like that Beca’s ( Anna Kendrick) big plot is about her career. Emily is clearly being groomed to be the lead in the third installment and I could get behind her college adventures. Emily Junk, the new girl, is played with aplomb and cute awkwardness by Hailee Steinfeld and I enjoyed veteran actress Katey Sagal as her mother and a legendary Bella from days of old. I will say, overall, the lead character subplots are interesting. I won’t tell you if they win or lose, but if you know how comedies work, you can probably guess. In both films, our returning champions are underdogs on the international stage, need fresh blood to survive (for the Bellas, it’s in the form of legacy member Emily whose original songs might give them the edge at the big showdown), and they compete against a Aryan ideal powerhouse team (just put in Iceland for Germany and you have D2, I swear). To be honest, the movie oddly shares a lot of plot similarities with D2: The Mighty Ducks. Their only hope is to win the world championships in Copenhagen against Das Sound Machine, a German supergroup that performs with military precision. However, things go very wrong at a performance for the president where Fat Amy ( Rebel Wilson) has a wardrobe malfunction that gets the Bellas banned from collegiate competition. In fact, they’ve become such a dynasty that Chloe ( Brittany Snow) has purposely failed college three years in a row to stay with the group. ![]() The Barden Bellas have been on a roll since we last saw them, winning the national championships at Lincoln Center three years in a row. Basically, if you’ve seen the trailers, then you know what’s going to happen. The issues I feel strongest about aren’t even relevant to the plot so that shouldn’t be a problem. The Plot: This won’t be a spoiler-filled review like my previous review for Avengers 2. Promo Poster for the Sequel of most of the cast
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