![]() Imagine if Rocky 4 (a good analog for Pitch Perfect 2) had ended with Rocky triumphing via a split decision. But the victory is so muted that we don't get the moment of gloating we feel we deserve. ![]() The problem is this: the uber-nasty Teutonic bad guys don't get their comeuppance. And, by not sticking the ending, it leaves the viewer with a vague, hard-to-define sense of dissatisfaction. Somehow, the movie manages to mess up the most basic aspect of any sports movie. So the sequel, which exists for financial and not creative reasons, rehashes past glories and does what it can to advance a paper-thin story that previously concluded satisfactorily. And, as is often the case with sports movies, there's really nowhere to go with installment #2. Like its more watchable predecessor, which at least featured solid directing and editing and a degree of giddiness during the high-energy songs, Pitch Perfect 2 follows the conventions of a sports movie. ![]() It's possible to enjoy Pitch Perfect 2 the same way one enjoys a TV variety show - with the higher functions of the brain disengaged. It is badly written, inexpertly directed, poorly acted, erratically paced, and features music of dubious worth. And, regardless of whatever ephemeral entertainment this production may offer to some, it is not by any reasonable definition a good movie. Nevertheless, one doesn't have to be in the filmmakers' bulls-eye to recognize the quality (or lack thereof) of a motion picture. If I was being snarky, I could add additional qualifiers, but I won't go there. I am as far from the target demographic for Pitch Perfect 2 as a member of the human race can possibly be. (Of course, if you don't care, feel free to continue…) Spoiler Warning! Because I reveal things about the ending of Pitch Perfect 2 in this review, I am duty-bound to warn readers in case they wish to stop now.
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