Review Roundup: Everyone's Favorite College A Capella Group is Back in PITCH PERFECT 2

Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and countless celebrity cameos are back in the comedy-musical sequel PITCH PERFECT 2. The film was directed by Elizabeth Banks who stars as the character Gail in the original PITCH PERFECT as well as PITCH PERFECT 2.

PITCH PERFECT 2 takes us right into the action as the Bellas are humiliated in front of an entire audience including the President of the United States at a performance in the LINCOLN Center. To regain their status and the right to perform, the Bellas entire an international competition that no American team has ever won. With new friends and old rivals tagging along for the trip, the Bellas can either sink or swim on their way to redemption.

PITCH PERFECT 2 stars Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, and Adam DeVine.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

A.O. Scott, The New York Times: "PITCH PERFECT 2" is not as barbed as "GIRLS" or as anarchic as "BROAD CITY" (it's also studiously PG-13), but it lives in their neighborhood - or maybe a nearby suburb. And its arrival is another sign of the extent to which feminism is reshaping the landscape of American comedy, and not a moment too soon. Not every joke is in the best taste, and there are some failures of imagination, especially in the way the nonwhite Bellas (Ester Dean, Hana Mae Lee and Chrissie Fit) are confined to the margins and to the kind of stereotyping that tries to subvert itself with knowingness.

Matt Tamanini, Broadway World: Due to the first film's success, the second film's outlandish humor and infectious musical numbers likely won't take anyone by surprise. However, what it does even better than the original, and makes this a special film, is get to the heart of a more universal message. Rather than just a ROCKY for choir kids, PITCH PERFECT 2 finds a way to communicate just how important and transformative the bonds of friendship can be, even (and perhaps especially) when your friends make unbelievably embarrassing choices.

Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair: The PITCH PERFECT movies are heavy on arch humor and only lightly swat at sentiment, but when Pitch Perfect 2 gets to its bittersweet moments, it's surprisingly affecting. Something about all these bright, likable kids singing their way into the unknowns of adulthood kinda got me. They don't close the college chapter of their lives perfectly-much of the Amy stuff is needlessly shaming; David Cross shows up at one point to do some unpleasant gay shtick-but their last number is a showstopper, which, really, is what we came to see. This is a rare comedy sequel that works, so let's hope they don't do a third.

Steve Rose, The Guardian: Less a difficult second album than an extended cover version, this well-deserved sequel is content to hit the same notes as its predecessor, occasionally going off-key.

Guy Lodge, Variety: Both behind and in front of the camera, women call every shot of consequence in this ebulliently entertaining, arguably superior sequel to the 2012 musical comedy hit. Continuing the bawdy misadventures of all-girl college a cappella group the Barden Bellas - this time as they get their motley act together on a global stage - Kay Cannon's script is even lighter on narrative than its predecessor, but fills any resulting void with a concentrated supply of riotous gags, and a renewed emphasis on the virtues of female collaboration and independence.

Kyle Smith, New York Post: There are a half-dozen hilarious scenes, the Barden Bellas' new nemesis is awesomely weird, and you could hardly find a more endearing group of college students played by 30-year-old actresses.

Jacob Hall, New York Daily News: "PITCH PERFECT 2" follows the same template as part one, but it's unmemorable. The highlights again are the a cappella covers of various pop songs, but there are fewer of them, and the performances aren't as strong.

Leslie Felperin, Hollywood Reporter: With nimble assists from all below-the-line departments, Banks, Cannon and the cast have crafted a sequel that's edgier, sexier and, best of all, more female-centric than its predecessor. The film should also help put an end to that stupid old debate about whether women can be as funny as men.

Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly: PP2 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. But 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.

Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic: The actors don't seem all that energized to be back, and the overarching sense of ennui is contagious. Instead, PITCH PERFECT 2 relies, like so many comedies do, on fart gags and racial stereotypes and odd-couple pairings, without any of the wryness from the first film to indicate that everyone, including the audience, is in on the joke. It is, in the most basic terms, the worst thing a reigning a cappella champ can be-flat.

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