Secret Society of Second-Born Royals

 Secret Society of Second-Born Royals (2020)

Starring Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Niles Fitch, Isabella Blake-Thomas, Olivia Feeble, Fall Rakotohavana, Élodie Yung, Greg Byrk, and Skylar Astin

Directed by Anna Mastro

Written by Alex Litvak and Andrew Green

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: D

Movie Review - Pitch Perfect 2

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

Starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins, and Katey Sagal

Directed by Elizabeth Banks

I wasn't a huge fan of the original Pitch Perfect and expectations were not high for its sequel...and that's a good thing because Pitch Perfect 2 simply rehashes all the same jokes, character traits, and plot points as its predecessor.  The biggest problem with Pitch Perfect 2 is that not a single one of the a cappella numbers in the film seems as if it has any basis in reality.  Where exactly did the Barden Bellas headed by Beca, Chloe, and (Fat) Amy (Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, and Rebel Wilson) get the money for fire effects for a show set up in a hotel ballroom?  And let's not even delve into the opening scene that places the Bellas at a concert celebrating President Obama's birthday.

It's that concert for the president that sets the ball rolling as Fat Amy inadvertently exposes her nether regions to the public when her pants rip while hanging from a Cirque du Soleil-ish device.  Amy's commando ways bring shame to the Bellas and the a cappella community and higher-ups John and Gail (the rather hilarious John Michael Higgins and Elizabeth Banks) ban the girl group from participating in any events or competing anywhere except for the World Finals in Copenhagen.  With the Bellas in chaos, they must regroup and regain their illustrious status once again.

Unfortunately, the film feels like a complete retread of the original with the same jokes, set-ups, and types of songs being made a cappella.  Like the original, there are a few laugh-out-loud moments here and there, but the directorial debut of Elizabeth Banks just doesn't ring true in any single moment of its screen time.  Perhaps on the plus side, the best aspect of the film is a rather subdued performance by Hailee Steinfeld as a freshman at Barden College who joins the Bellas -- Steinfeld will presumably carry the torch for subsequent sequels seeing as how this film concludes with the majority of the Bellas facing graduation.  Steinfeld is pleasant enough and perhaps the most grounded character, but my hopes aren't high that future films will maintain this realistic approach for character's wide-eyed innocence.

Pitch Perfect 2 is watchable, but not much works.  Anna Kendrick looks like she doesn't want to be there, Brittany Snow's Chloe is too ditzy to be believable, and Rebel Wilson doesn't improve her acting skills at all from her first attempt at Fat Amy.  Wilson, in particular, is just an embarrassment and while I imagine some tweens may find her shtick funny, I find it nearly unwatchable.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - 21 and Over

21 and Over (2013)

Starring Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Justin Chon, and Sarah Wright 

Directed by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Everyone knows that old philosophical question, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?"  Well, what about the philosophical question, "If you make a comedy and no one laughs, is it really then a comedy?"  Despite some very strong efforts from its three leads -- The Spectacular Now's Miles Teller, Pitch Perfect's Skylar Astin, and Justin Chon -- co-directors and co-screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore have somehow managed to craft a flick that languishes in its attempts to try and be as absurd as possible, but never creates a hint of humor from its absurdity.

In fact, the only time I found myself laughing in 21 & Over was in the moments that led up to the wild night of insanity as high school buddies Miller (Teller) and Casey (Astin) stage a surprise reunion on Jeff Chang's (Chon) college campus to celebrate his 21st birthday in bar-hopping style.  Jeff Chang has a med school interview in the morning, but agrees to go out for one drink.  Well, one drink leads to a few more and pretty soon Jeff Chang is completely and utterly wasted.  Unfortunately for Miller (the crazy one) and Casey (the centered soon-to-be businessman), they have no idea where Jeff Chang actually lives, so they spend the night wandering around Jeff Chang's college campus trying to find someone who knows where Jeff Chang resides.  [Note:  Is the repetition of the name "Jeff Chang" funny to you?  It's a running joke in the movie that's supposed to make you laugh so I figured I'd try it here.  Yeah...doesn't really work, does it?]  As they explore the wild nightlife, things get a little out of control and take a turn for the worse in that Hangover-esque style.

The Hangover comparison is quite apt as the helmers of this flick also penned that horribly overrated late aughts comedy.  The only real difference between the two is shifting the focus from Las Vegas to a college campus, but beyond that you're really in for the same exact storyline unfolding in front of you.  Ultimately, it's a shame that Jon Lucas and Scott Moore couldn't have crafted something funnier for the film's three stars -- all of whom are incredibly engaging and entertaining to watch, attempting to do all that they can to make the lackluster script shine a little brighter.  Unfortunately, they're unable to succeed.

The RyMickey Rating:  D

Movie Review - Pitch Perfect

Pitch Perfect (2012)

Starring Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, John Michael Higgins, and Elizabeth Banks

Directed by Jason Moore

I walked into Pitch Perfect hoping that it would do for a capella singing what Bring It On did for high school cheerleading -- a romp that pokes fun, but ultimately respects the extracurricular activity.  Unfortunately, while the collegiate-set musical comedy has some laughs (and is respectful of the music-based singing phenomenon), they're too few and far between and despite a nice performance from Anna Kendrick, there's a disappointing and bland story that never provides anything other than a "been there-done that" vibe.

We've got all the typical cliches we've come to know when it comes to a movie like this.  New girl in school -- in this case Kendrick's freshman Beca -- arrives on the scene and is "different" from others her age (we know this because she wears black nail polish and thinks everyone is too cookie cutter).  She meets the various stereotypes and then ends up joining an a capella group mainly because her father is worried that she's not fitting in.  Group competes in several competitions across the country leading up to "The Big One" in NYC in which Beca's group goes up against another a capella group from her same college which just so happens to feature the guy (Skylar Astin) who has been trying to get her to date him throughout the movie.

There's nothing new and exciting in the story and despite some laugh out loud moments, the story fails this movie in the end.  Granted, I realize I'm not the target audience for this -- some of the songs that I probably should have known were I a sixteen-year old girl whizzed in one ear and then right out the other without any recognition -- but the movie should've done something a little bit different in order to make it stand out from the typical teen flicks.

As mentioned above, Anna Kendrick is pretty darn good...definitely as good as you can get for a film like this and she's certainly a lovely singer.  [And it helps that she's easy on the eyes, but that's neither here nor there.]  In fact, the acting (and the singing), for the most part, is not too shabby.  However, this is only the second movie in which I've seen Rebel Wilson and her comedic schtick is already on my last nerve.  She provided some laughs, but her fifteen minutes of fame have reached their limit at this point unless she can change it up.

The RyMickey Rating:  C