Sweet but just a bit tart

The Bellas return for "Pitch Perfect 2."

“Pitch Perfect 2,” the sequel to the surprise hit from 2012, is a slight flick akin to a moderately stale Fig Newton: Ooey, gooey, chewy on the inside and with just a bit of a crunch to the outside. It doesn’t sound like the most flattering description, but it's exactly what a “Pitch Perfect” sequel ought to be: an enjoyable perfectly satisfying, albeit problematic, film that leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth.

The film picks up with the Barden University Bellas three years after the events of the first film, it’s been a pretty good stretch for the Bellas; they’ve won three consecutive national acapella titles and kickoff the film performing for President Obama at the Kennedy Center. The performance, however, turns into a nightmare when Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) accidentally reveals her front door to the president amid a rendition of Miley Cyrus' “Wrecking Ball.” The act leads the acapella league to ban the Bellas from competing at the national level and from recruiting new members to replace the group, whose members are set to graduate in the spring.

Bellas' leader Beca (Anna Kendrick) strikes an agreement to have the Bellas reinstated if they win the world competition, a contest dominated by the ruthlessly efficient and entertaining German collective Das Sound Machine. It's the Bellas' last shot at glory and preservation, and it comes with an abundance of drama entailing Kendrick's internship for a music producer (Keegan-Michael Key), seventh-year senior Chloe's (Brittany Snow) fear of losing the Bellas, the inclusion of a legacy member/aspiring songwriter Emily (Hailee Steinfeld), and the antics of Wilson and super senior Bumper (Adam DeVine). Oh, and Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins are back as bickering announcers cum acapella overlords Gail and John.

This should refresh your memory.

The plot isn't all that complex or difficult to resolve, and the overarching push toward a global championship is suspiciously similar to the one used in “D2: The Mighty Ducks.” Then again, viewers aren't focused as much on “Pitch Perfect 2's” story as they are on the humor and acapella performances, and the film succeeds on both ends. Wilson gets her moments to shine as the apparent fan favorite, with Kendrick, Snow, fellow Bellas Hana Mae Lee (Lilly) and Ester Dean (Rose), Key and DeVine chipping in when needed. Even Snoop Dogg drops a couple of solid lines by recording a Christmas album I would totally purchase if it existed. The comedic highlight once again belongs to Banks and Higgins, who just kill it as the announcers who take the Don Rickles route and offend as many people as possible.

The performances too are enjoyable, featuring a slew of recent and old-school pop songs performed in scales both small (acapella throwdowns that are essentially singing version of a street-dance fight in “Breakin'”) and large (the world performance). Credit for the staging of said performances goes in part to Banks, who does a strong job behind the camera and shoots the big sequences with flair and precision in her feature-length directorial debut.

There are a few “and yets” that do put a damper on “Pitch Perfect 2.” The film's a bit lazy when it comes to expositional dialogue, with Higgins even saying, “it's as if the Bellas forgot who they are” at one point. The simplicity of the plot is forgivable; having characters state the obvious is a bigger issue.

So too is the various levels of offensiveness carried within the script. Screenwriter Kay Cannon toes the proverbial line with the offensive jokes and just keeps from crossing the threshold into problematic by redirecting the barbs back at Higgins' and Banks' characters. At greater issue though is the treatment of Lee's Lilly, who spent most of the first film squeaking and making beat boxing sounds. Her oddness becomes her defining character trait in round two, and while some of it works, much of it falls into stereotypical territory that makes her come off as a female Long Duk Dong.

Remember him?

Those problem areas with the script are balanced a bit by the female-centered comedy and some little moments Cannon inserts to deepen the relationships between in a realistic manner. And “Pitch Perfect 2” does have a sense of humor about itself and mocks a few tropes it indulges in, along with a few cracks centered on acapella's perplexing popularity.

To go back to the cookie analogy put forth in the opening paragraph, “Pitch Perfect 2” doesn't have the flavor complexities of a gourmet treat, nor does it comfort viewers like a homemade chocolate chip cookie. It's a Fig Newton of a movie, and who doesn't like a good Fig Newton?

I'm kind of Jonesing for one right now.

Review: Four out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: PG-13

Run time: 115 minutes

Genre: Comedy

Ask Away

Target audience: Acapella-philes and people into the original.

Take the whole family?: The film is a bit crass and not interesting enough for kids younger than 9, but otherwise there's nothing overly problematic.

Theater or Netflix?: Good enough for a night out with friends followed by a couple of bright mixed drinks.

Rebel Wilson, breakout star?:  She was in “Pitch Perfect,” which gave the filmmakers greater motivation to feature her in the sequel. Wilson is a fine comedic talent, but her character becomes a little grating at times and doesn't have a story interesting enough to carry so much screen time in an ensemble. She's a great supporting character stretched too far into a quasi-leading role.

Watch this as well?: “Pitch Perfect” is the obvious one. Aside from that, “Moulin Rouge!” is a pretty good companion piece given how both reappropriate pop songs, and maybe “Glee” depending on how you're feeling. One more to add is “Enchanted,” which is just delightful.