thoughts on Pitch Perfect 2

The Bellas are back.  The first time around, they were a laughingstock because Aubrey (Anna Camp) projectile vomited onstage at Nationals. This time, they're a laughingstock because Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) had a wardrobe malfunction while the group was performing for the President of the United States at the Kennedy Center.  The group still gets to perform at the World Championship since they're the defending national champions, but they have been replaced on their world tour by the German group Das Sound Machine, and they aren't allowed to recruit new members.  The film primarily focuses on the group trying to bounce back from their embarrassment while dealing with what they're going to do after graduation (would-be music producer Beca (Anna Kendrick) already has an internship that competes for her time); welcoming the only new member they were allowed to take on, a legacy named Emily (Hailee Steinfeld), into the fold; and entertaining a rivalry with Das Sound Machine.  Also, Fat Amy has a romance with fellow a cappella enthusiast Bumper (Adam DeVine).

The storyline of the first Pitch Perfect was a bit tighter, and it worked better as a standalone movie.  However, there are SO MANY CHARACTERS in these movies, and it was nice to walk in knowing most of them and just being able to get down to the story.  Looking back at my review of the first movie, I also see that a lot of the conflict in that one was a bit tedious (Beca thinks it's dorky to be in an a cappella group! Aubrey has a problem with Beca dating a rival Treblemaker! Aubrey is stubbornly clinging to the way things have always been done even though it's clearly not working!); the conflict in this one seems a bit more natural (Fat Amy doesn't realize or acknowledge her feelings for Bumper until it's almost too late; Emily takes awhile to gel with the group; Beca is caught between her past and future, as many college seniors are).  The previous story was about a group of very different young women putting aside their differences to achieve a goal; this story is about a group of close friends trying to grow up without growing too far apart.

There is also zero projectile vomiting in this movie.  For me, that is a HUGE point in this film's favor.

It was fun.  Good songs and familiar, likeable characters.