I was quite shocked when I saw and enjoyed "Pitch Perfect". After all, I am in my 50s and not exactly the demographic they were going for in the film. So, because of this, I then decided to try "Pitch Perfect II"...and I did enjoy the film, though not quite as much as the first film. Much of it was due to Jessica Kendrick's character...who just didn't seem anything like the sweet lady from the first movie.

The film begins with the a capella group at the very top of the world. They are performing on television at the Kennedy Center for the President! However, due to a horrific wardrobe malfunction, the group goes from the darlings of America to hated jerks. The film is about how the girls somehow manage to overcome this AND take on the dreaded German group, DSM at the international championship in Copenhagen.

The best thing about the film was also a big plus in the first movie--the inane commentary by the two announcers (Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgens)...especially Higgens. As for Banks, it wasn't like she was a slouch, as she also directed and co-produced the movie! I also enjoyed seeing many of the familiar characters from the other films...aside from Kendricks', who seemed inexplicably self-centered and grouchy. For this reason alone, I think the original is a tad better....but they are both still very watchable.

The three-time champs Barden Bellas has an embarrassing incident when Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) flashes the audience during a performance for the President. They face punishment and replaced on the tour by the German Das Sound Machine. Beca (Anna Kendrick) starts an internship with a record producer (Keegan-Michael Key) keeping it a secret from the Bellas. Chloe (Brittany Snow) is more driven than ever before. Emily Junk (Hailee Steinfeld) is a legacy and joins the group. They vow to win the World Championship to regain their standing.

I really like the first movie. The girls are lovable. Their friendship is charming. There is just the right amount of humor. This one has made a few changes. Adding Hailee Steinfeld is nice. Elizabeth Banks' directing skills are functional. The girls remain charming. I personally like Rebel Wilson although there may be too much of her in this one. The problem is that the humor seems dumber. I don't mean it's simply broader and more coarse. I mean it seems stupider and less well written. The whole movie feels like a step down.

It only took 3 years until they came up with a sequel to the first "Pitch Perfect" movie. Let me start this review here by saying that I did not like the first film and I thought it was like 2.5 weaker Glee episodes added together. So I was very much surprised to see how well it was received. And I was even more surprised to see another director in charge here, namely actress Elizabeth Banks. I guess they even wanted to go with the entire girl power thingey also behind the camera. Unsurprisingly, this sequel got worse reception than the original, but still mostly positive. And also unsurprisingly, I also believe this film here does not deserve any of its praise. Banks' direction and Steinfeld's addition made me curious enough to give it a go, but I was disappointed again.

Let's start with the plot here. The Steinfeld story is basically a recycled version of Kendrick's story in the first film. And then they included some struggles about the direction the band is taking and some struggles between Kendrick's character and the other band members. At the beginning, the band really messes up, but predictably it all works out really well at the end again with their outdoor performance in Denmark in front of a huge crowd. The story is really really generic here and not creative at all. I don't think you can blame screenwriter Kay Cannon here. It's mostly Mickey Rapkin's fault because he delivered weak base material here.

As a whole, the film could have been kept a lot more essential and that way it would have run for 100 minutes max and that would have been fine. I personally believe that this was a missed opportunity here. The weak script lets talented actresses like Anna Kendrick and especially Hailee Steinfeld not show us the talent they possess. On a more negative note about the actresses, people need to stop trying to make Rebel Wilson happen. She is not funny and this has nothing to do with her physics. Actually she is the one whose approach to comedy is every single time entirely based on her clumsy chubby appearance and it gets repetitive so quickly. As a whole, this film was equally disappointing as the first, if not more. Still, in order to end the review on a more positive note, the singing performances and songs in here were fun to listen to I think. Some really catchy tunes and the ending with "Flashlight" was a thing of beauty. But it cannot make up for everything that went wrong before that. I do not recommend "Pitch Perfect 2". Thumbs down.