Anna Kendrick and ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ Cast Receive Mixed Reviews

Anna Kendrick and the rest of the cast of Pitch Perfect 2 have received a mixed bag of reviews. The film opens in theaters nationwide today. The Barden Bellas–the a cappella group that sang thei...
Anna Kendrick and ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ Cast Receive Mixed Reviews
Written by Kimberly Ripley
  • Anna Kendrick and the rest of the cast of Pitch Perfect 2 have received a mixed bag of reviews. The film opens in theaters nationwide today.

    The Barden Bellas–the a cappella group that sang their way to movie fame in Pitch Perfect–are back for round two. Headlined by returning stars Rebel Wilson and Anna Kendrick, Pitch Perfect 2 is directed by Elizabeth Banks.

    So is their pitch–um, perfect?

    The Los Angeles Times reports that according to most reviews, yes.

    According to their reviewer Betsey Sharkey, “the comedy choir wars are more intense, more absurd and more low-brow fun than ever in Pitch Perfect 2. It is almost impossible not to be amused by the cutthroat world of competitive a cappella.”

    Anna Kendrick “continues to prove her comic and singing chops,” Wilson’s schtick is “still funny–for now,” and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld “proves a very good addition to the chorus line…freshening up a fairly predictable plot,” Starkey writes.

    Entertainment Weekly only gives it a B+ and reports that it “sometimes feels less like a movie than a two-hour episode of Glee ghostwritten by Amy Schumer; jokes fly like they’re being shot from T-shirt guns at a gonzo pep rally, and not all of them stick the landing.”

    EW’s Leah Greenblatt adds that “the story also gives big, joyful voice to groups whose members have spent their whole lives being targeted because of who they are, be it black, gay, overweight, female, or just deeply uncool. Now–to quote Beyonce, a patron saint of ‘Pitch’ery–they run this mother.”

    NPR wasn’t a fan, but had no problem with Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and Brittany Snow in its review.

    “The effortless charms of Kendrick, Wilson and top-notch bit players like Brittany Snow and Adam DeVine now play second fiddle to so much shock humor and extended celebrity cameos that a Saturday Night Live parody would feel redundant. Pitch Perfect 2 is singing a completely different tune from the 2012 original. And the notes are feeling a bit overproduced.”

    Do you have plans to check out Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and the rest of the Barden Bellas in Pitch Perfect 2 this weekend?

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