(SPOILER WARNING!!! This article does contain spoilers, if you haven’t seen the movie, just see the first paragraph to be informed without spoilers!!!)

Pitch Perfect 2 may have it’s share of dumbness and corniness, but the music and the art of a capella brings you back in when you want to leave.

Rating: 3 Stars

I remember before I watched the movie Pitch Perfect, I thought for sure that I was going to hate it. I didn’t know there was actual competitions for a capella singers, let alone college groups and houses for them. I thought the movie was going to be a corny teen movie. However, when I started watching it, I actually kind of liked it. Yes the comedy can be corny, but i really appreciated seeing the hard work that is put in for an a capella performance. It is not easy, and I appreciate the art form of a capella. I really enjoyed the music of different kinds, and it made me respect the a capella group Pentatonix even more. It was a surprisingly decent film for me, but did they really have to make a sequel? Unfortunately, they did.

What I Like: Right from the gecko, the a capella performances and music really was top notch and entertaining. Really that is what the movie is all about, watching a capella performances and being entertained by it. Why else would you watch this movie for? In that regard, the movie did it’s job. Another thing that I can appreciate is that they alleviated the slapstick and gross comedy for this movie, and really relied on some one liners that may be hit or miss, but some of them really made me laugh. The Nancy Sotomayor joke was funny to me, and there were others that made me chuckle. Thank goodness that they got rid of adding “a ca” to every word in this movie, cuz that type if dialogue annoyed the heck out of me in the first movie. Some of the new characters i enjoyed was Emily Junk-Harden, played by Hailee Steinfeld. To me she was the spotlight of this movie as a freshmen who is a daughter if a legendary a capella singer for the Barden Bellas, and she wanted to be part of the Bellas and write her own music. She went through the rookie mistakes and what not, but came through huge in the end, and set her up to be the new leader for the Barden Bellas. Steinfeld was sweet and adorable, and maybe out acted Anna Kendrick’s character of Beca Mitchell in this movie. I also enjoyed seeing Keegan-Michael Key as Becca’s boss Residual Heat. To me he was the funniest in the whole movie, and his exchanges with other workers and interns were hilarious. There were many cameos in the movie, but most notably is seeing Snoop Dogg singing Winter Wonderland, and some players from the Green Bay Packers led by Clay Matthews as part of a capella group. I also enjoyed seeing comedian Reggie Watts doing his beat boxing thing for another a capella group in this movie. I enjoyed the riff off scene in the mansion, was entertaining, but what I really enjoyed was the Barton Bellas’ final performance in the International competition where they brought back some alumnus to perform, and showing that a capella singing is all about the art and not the flash like what some other groups do. I also really enjoyed seeing Adam DeVine’s character, Bumper Allen, singing in the show The Voice at the end credits. That was funny to watch. Elizabeth Banks, who also plays commentator Gail, directed this movie, and I have to say, not to shabby for a first time director.

The So So: As I said before the one liner comedy was a hit and miss, and when they missed they pretty much struck out. If it wasn’t for the great a capella performances this movie would’ve been terrible. Especially with one new character they introduced,  Flo Fuentes played by the beautiful Chrissie Fit. Flo was a beautiful singer, with a nice smile (I think I’m falling in love with her), athletic and a great voice, and bonus points for her being from Guatemala (a country of my mother’s side), but her character was just a stereotypical immigrant Latina, who talks about negative things that she believes will happen with her that happens in Latin American countries. I was greatly disappointed with the way she was developed, but at least she looked good performing for the Barden Bellas. As for Becca, who stole the show in the first movie, really was so so here as she is tackling her role with the Barton Bellas and her internship. I don’t know, I guess she wanted to be second nature in this movie, and that’s disappointing.

What I Didn’t Like: The story was cliched for a college movie. practically like Animal House, Stomp the Yard, and Monster University. A college group who gets in trouble, and needs to perform great to get reinstated. We heard that before. For the comedy, Rebel Wilson playing Fat Amy was more annoying this time, and that romance with Bumper was really wretched to watch. The worst of it all was commentator John, played by John Michael Higgins, making such inappropriate, racist, and sexist remarks which if it happens in real life, he would be immediately fired. (Just ask Don Imus.) Some of his remarks were not funny, and offensive which I did not enjoy whatsoever. Also why is it always the Germans that have to be jerks in every International competition in movies. That cliche had run very dry, why can’t it be the Portuguese, the Chileans, heck even The Australians would make a lot of sense of being the jerks, but Germans? That country suffered enough. (Then again they did beat Argentina in the World Cup Final, so that makes me angry and fitting.)

Overall, once you start to get annoyed, and tired of this movie, the a capella performances will bring you back. At least the movie achieved in continuing to show the art form of a capella performing. I just hope they don’t make another sequel (which I researched they might) cuz this movie will get old real quick. Just ask the Step Up franchise!!!

Rating: 3 Stars