It's been a few years and the ex-Bellas are struggling to get their lives on track. So when they hear about a European USO tour, they decide to relive past a cappella glories, facing off against the other bands ("there's always a competition") to be named as tour's host DJ Khaled new opening act. Along the way, Beca (Kendrick) is having a crisis of confidence again, and Fat Amy (Wilson) runs into her estranged criminal mastermind father (Lithgow). There are also two cute new guys (Lanter and Burnet) for them to flirt with.

Thankfully, Gail and John (Banks and Higgins) tag along to shoot a documentary and provide their wildly ridiculous commentary. Each of the characters get a few genuine zingers along the way. But it's a shame that writer Cannon, this time working with the usually snappy White, can't find anything interesting for these women to do. Instead, they're thrown into numbingly dull action sequences. And the other tepid subplots never gain any steam either.

As before, the interaction is entertaining, especially when they find a spark of conflict. Mostly though they are discovering that they're family, which isn't terribly original or insightful. At the centre, Kendrick anchors things nicely as the sensible, unassumingly talented one, while Wilson provides relentless distractions in her wacky antics and riotously rude dialog. Snow, Camp and Steinfeld get to develop their characters a little bit, while the others swirl mainly in the background.

There were clearly big ideas going into this, as the premise throws the Bellas into a world in which musicians use (shock!) instruments. But the filmmakers never integrate these worlds, setting up a mock rivalry that never rings true, so none of the music stands out. All of the songs are sharply well produced and performed, but nothing properly catches us by surprise this time, which is a real problem for a comedy. And then there's the core issue that the jokes are simply too far apart.

themes, innuendo, violence

20.Dec.17