Pitch Perfect 2

For the past few months Tashena has had a paper chain in her bedroom counting down the days until Pitch Perfect 2 opened.  Of course Marilyn and I had to take her to see it on Saturday night because, after all, we are seriously cool aunts!  (Tashena actually forced me to watch showed me the DVD of the first movie over Christmas break so I was looking forward to the sequel, too.)  The antics of the Barden Bellas continue after they are suspended from collegiate competition for an unfortunate incident during a performance for the President at the Kennedy Center.  Let's just say it involved Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) and the song "Wrecking Ball" and leave it at that!  To be reinstated, they must win the A Capella World Championships.  However, no American team has ever won and their biggest competition is Das Sound Machine, a formidable team from Germany.  The Bellas lose their sound trying to add flashy gimmicks and have to go back to basics if they hope to win.  Some of the big song and dance routines are quite random (a performance at a car show and a riff-off at a creepy and eccentric millionaire's house) but it doesn't matter because they are so much fun to watch.  A lot of the humor is a bit crude and ethnic stereotypes abound but I have to admit that I found it to be absolutely hilarious.  I loved the thick German accents of Das Sound Machine (my favorite line was, "Your team is like a heated mess.  A mess where heat is applied to it so what once was a little messy is now even messier.") and I especially loved that the female leader of the group was named Kommissar (If you grew up in the 80s, you will understand the reference.  If not, search iTunes for "Der Kommissar" by After the Fire.  Good stuff!)  I think Anna Kendrick can do no wrong (reprising her role as Becca) and I liked the addition of Hailee Steinfeld as Emily, a new legacy member of the Bellas.  Don't think about this movie too much.  Just take a group of friends and have a fun night out!  Marilyn and I had a blast with Tashena (mostly because we loved watching her reaction to everything) and we even bought tickets to see it again immediately after we walked out of the theater!  As I said, we are the coolest aunts ever!

Note:  I also really loved that the uber popular a capella group Pentatonix played Team Canada at the World Championships!  Where can I get one of those maple leaf vests?