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Pitch Perfect 2: a chick flick for ‘total tough guy dudes’

The Barden Bellas hit the stage.

The Barden Bellas hit the stage.

Film-Review-Pitch-Perfect-2

Pitch Perfect 2 has all the hallmarks of a box office disaster – it’s a sequel, it’s a musical and, by all indications, it’s a chick flick.

Leave your preconceptions at the door – this could easily be your new favourite movie.

Clever, funny, charming, unique and showcasing some serious musical talent, it may just be the most surprising movie of the year.

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Even college dude humour icon Adam DeVine, who stars in the film, agrees.

DeVine found fame on cult comedy Workaholics, a show about three stoners working at a telemarketing agency.

Playing a cappella jock Bumper in Pitch Perfect was a risky shift from DeVine’s usual work, but the charm of the movie prevailed.

“I meet total tough guy dudes that are like ‘Hey man I’m a big fan and I love Workaholics’ but then they’re like ‘Pitch Perfect is my jam!'” DeVine told The New Daily.

“When I signed up to do the first movie I was pretty worried because my style of comedy, you wouldn’t think it’d be totally conducive to an a cappella movie.

“I received the backlash and I was worried but then they saw it and the exact opposite thing happened.

“Once you see it you realise it’s not a cheesy dumb movie, it’s actually a really funny, silly, dumb movie. In the best way possible!”

Given the success of the first Pitch Perfect in 2012 a follow-up was always going to be difficult to pull off, but DeVine is right when he says “pound for pound it is funnier than the first movie”.

“It’s weird because most sequels are total pieces of garbage so I am so glad this isn’t,” he said.

DeVine, 31, reprises his role as Bumper, the egotistical leader of the Treblemakers, a rival a cappella group to the protagonist troupe, the Barden Bellas. 

The actor and comedian, who has also appeared in Modern Family and Arrested Development, said he loved giving the character a little bit of heart in the sequel, via a love story with Rebel Wilson’s character Patricia (Fat Amy).

It’s the banter between DeVine and the Australian actress that makes the movie. The two comedians-turned-actors sound, look and act like they don’t belong in just another Hollywood teen movie, elevating the entire film.

Rebel Wilson and Adam DeVine have fantastic on-screen chemistry.

Rebel Wilson and Adam DeVine have fantastic on-screen chemistry.

Wilson, in particular, is so different to every other character trope trotted out in typical blockbusters, and her presence often drags dialogue out of the formulaic and into the unique.

Journeying from her truly classic character ‘Toula’ in SBS’s Fat Pizza to starring alongside the industry’s biggest names, there’s probably never been a rise like hers for one of our homegrown actors.

“I’ve known Rebel for a long time,” DeVine said. “She actually guest starred on Workaholics in season one.”

“On the first day of us working together I made out with her and felt up her t**s, so we’ve known each other for a while.

“We feel so comfortable together and she is a fun person to act with because our backgrounds are so similar with comedy and improv too.”

On working with the film’s other beautiful, smart and talented female leads, including Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow and Hailee Steinfeld, DeVine says he feels “‘hashtag blessed’ as the kids are saying”.

“It’s so cool and I’m just in awe of their abilities … they’re such great actresses.”

The Barden Bellas hit the stage.

The Barden Bellas – (L-R) Hailee Steinfeld, Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Alexis Knapp and Rebel Wilson – hit the stage.

Academy Award nominee Steinfeld is an incredible addition to a watertight cast whose chemistry is blatantly apparent via the film’s snappy banter and finger-clicking musical numbers.

If you’re having horrible flashbacks to cheesy Glee scenes, don’t – the tunes are delivered to you with aplomb in Pitch Perfect 2.

From a rival German a cappella group’s rearranged performance of Muse’s hit Uprising, to a long breakdown battle scene in a basement, you won’t want the symphonic interludes to end.

And now that DeVine has two musical films under his belt using his own singing voice, is he tempted to take on the recording industry?

“I thought they’d replace me with Usher’s voice or something but they didn’t, they kept my sweet vokes (vocals) … I don’t know if anyone wants me to do that, but I am up for anything!”

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