Yes, I know that it’s been a while. Almost a year in fact,
since my last set of posts… and a lot has happened in the last year. I started
writing for SchmoesKnow.com, which I love, but it has taken up a lot of my free
time. (Please, stop by and check it out! Lots of great stuff over there, and
some pretty fantastic people, to boot!) That, coupled with my full-time job and
the novels that I am currently writing… well, something had to give.
Unfortunately, it was my blog! But I’m back now, hoping to eke out some time to
review the things that I love (or maybe don’t!) and talk about the news that
interests me. Let’s see how long it lasts!
And now, as promised, on to the good stuff…
Back in 2012, I went into my screening of Pitch Perfect
expecting nothing but fluff. And that’s okay, because sometimes, fluff is good…
and in this case, great. The film was charming and funny and full of heart. And
it surprised a lot of people. The film made $115 million at the box office, on
a $17 million budget, prompting Universal Pictures to greenlight a sequel. But
could the sequel hit all the same notes?
The short answer is, no. While I enjoyed the film, I felt
that it was somehow missing that something special that captivated me about the
first one. (Now, I will full admit that it may be because I had high
expectations for this film). The studio brought back the original cast of the
film to reprise their roles, while adding Hailee Steinfeld and a criminally
underused Katey Sagal to the mix (I mean, seriously, have you heard the woman
sing? She’s incredible!), but were still unable to capture that same magic. The
music is fantastic, however, and it’s really worth the price of admission to
see the cameo by the Green Bay Packers. Very amusing!
The best character in the film is definitely Rebel Wilson’s
Fat Amy. She’s a bonafide scene stealer, and I couldn’t stop laughing during
one particular scene where her character gets to do a hilarious solo. She’s got
impeccable comic timing and I for one miss her short lived show, Super Fun
Night. Yes, I realize that I am probably the only one, but oh, well! I enjoyed
the addition of Hailee Steinfeld’s Emily Junk and think that the studio made an
excellent choice to continue the franchise. (Because yes, the studio will
continue the franchise… the film has made $121 million dollars in the 5 days
since its release). One of my favorite films of last year was Begin Again and
Steinfeld was a big reason for that. I am excited to see what she brings to
this franchise.
Overall, I had a good time with this film. I just think
that, for me, it wasn’t able to live up to the awesomeness that was first film.
That often happens with sequels. While I don’t think that this film suffered
too much by sequelitis, it was a bit of a let-down none the less. A nice
addition to the budding franchise, although if the studio chooses not to make
another (like that’s going to happen!), I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.
Pitch Perfect 2 3.5/5
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