Rating: 11/20 (Emma: 17/20)
Plot: The Bellas, following an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction in front of President Obama, have to take on the world in a competition that no American group has won before in order to
Muffgate.
It almost seems too easy, and although I'm not ordinarily so stuffy that I can't enjoy a little raunchiness with my movies about acapella singing groups, it just doesn't work as well for me if that's where all the humor's coming from. Maybe I'm misremembering the first movie--which I enjoyed--but I don't remember it being wall-to-wall raunch. Maybe it's because I'm a couple years older and a couple years more mature.
The music didn't work for me as much either. My favorite musical bits involved the German group who were supposedly the antagonists. But Das Sound Machine winds up being a little like Ivan Drago, a "bad guy" you really only root against because you're xenophobic. Well, that and they're a little arrogant. Arrogance is hard to cheer for, but it's not like we see them beatboxing and harmonizing and then biting the heads off kittens or anything. And for whatever reason, I just didn't find the Bellas as likable this time around. They seemed more like characters yanked from your typical 80's raunchy comedy, and their subplots--Fat Amy's relationship with Adam DeVine, a guy I do like despite that face; Anna Kendrick's budding career as a producer; the new character played by Hailee Steinfeld doing whatever she's trying to do--failed to grab me. Inexplicable appearances by Snoop Dogg and some of the Green Bay Packers were just as forced as you would think they would be. When Snoop Dogg's appearance singing Christmas songs feels like a breath of fresh air, your movie's probably in a little bit of trouble.
Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins' commentator characters aren't as funny either but are still probably the best part of the movie. Banks, by the way, directed this movie. Mark Mothersbaugh did the music, but I can't remember much of it.
I'm not sure I had huge expectations for this even after enjoying that sleeper that was its predecessor, but it still managed to disappoint. It's just not as much fun as it should be. If they make a third movie, something you know they'll do, I'll probably watch it with my daughter, but I'm not going to be excited about it.
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