Pitch Perfect 2 has its moments, but doesn’t quite live up to original

Pitch Perfect 2 has spirited a cappella singing and Rebel Wilson — how bad could it be?

Although this sequel can’t quite capture the magic of the first movie, Pitch Perfect 2 is a pleasant undertaking and fans of the first film will want to see this second chapter.

The winning college a cappella group, The Barden Bellas, continues to triumph in competition. Led by Beca (Anna Kendrick) and Chloe (Brittany Snow), the women seem unbeatable, but then a ludicrous mishap puts the singers in hot water.

(How ludicrous? Fat Amy, the character played by Rebel Wilson, is essentially without knickers in front of the President.)

The Barden Bellas are banned from competition.

The women have devoted themselves to the Bellas, and they take the news hard. Luckily, there’s redemption in sight. The Bellas are not pre- vented from competing in an international a cappella championship, and if they win, all is forgiven.

Thing is, no U.S. a cappella group has ever won the world championship before.

The Bellas are confident they can triumph over adversity and win the big contest, at least until they go out to see their competition: A spectacular German group called Das Sound Machine.

How can The Bellas ever hope to win? (A: Practise, man, practise!) A fable about friendship, team work and harmony, Pitch Perfect 2 has a slim story buoyed by various subplots. One such secondary tale is Fat Amy’s possible romance with Bumper (Adam DeVine); another is Beca’s internship at a recording studio with a famous producer.

Then there’s the newbie story that has Hailee Steinfeld playing Emily, a freshman keen to join the Bellas. Her mom (Katey Sagal) was a Bella, and Emily just wants to continue the tradition.

The film doesn’t always connect the dots, but the various components are fun to watch, even if they don’t quite meld. Elizabeth Banks, making her feature directorial debut here, has just the light touch the material requires — never underlining either the comedy or the more heartfelt material.

And she’s fearless with the daft stuff. There’s a crazed singing competition that involves the Green Bay Packers, a Christmas recording session with Snoop Dogg, and the ongoing surreal, hilarious commentary from Banks and John Michael Higgins, who return in their roles as a cappella contest commentators.

Pitch Perfect 2 is sweet, predictable story, but it’s shored up by some hilarious and absurd action on the sidelines.