Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin

I absolutely love Adam Devine and Sarah Hyland (both separately and together) so was extra excited to see them reunited in this series! Additionally I am so glad to see Bumper's story continue, as he was definitely one of the most interesting characters in the movies. I'm just now in the second episode but I love it already - the music, the storyline, and to have Flula Borg return as Pieter, but this time as an ally, is such a fun twist. It's infectious and makes me nostalgic for the movies, although I just might like this better... Especially if Bumper and Heidi end up together! Adam Devine doesn't get enough praise or recognition, he can go from silly comedy (a la Workaholics) to a musical romantic lead so effortlessly, and I am loving this show so far!

It's not award worthy in terms of script, emotional depth, or, weirdly, musical content, but the series has a whole lot going for it in Sarah Hyland whose performance as the adorable Heidi is an absolute revelation. Add in the completely over the top vamping and the ultimate in sexy German accents from Jameel Jamil as Gisela, and a glorious cameo from veteran German actress Katharina Thalbach, and there's plenty to like about this "whatever happened to" series. It's just that as a Pitch Perfect fan I would have liked a whole lot more music, especially the a capella for which the films were noted.

They took a fun franchise and chose the most unlikeable character for a spinoff -what could go wrong? There are a few redeeming qualities but there are not even any good a capella performances. Still, for some reason I kept watching -maybe because of nostalgia for the movies as well as liking Sarah Hyland. Shooting in Berlin is also great but it's weird having almost everything in English. Lera Abova is excellent as the DJ sister and it was nice seeing her smile come thru without totalling softening her as a character. Gisela as the villain is a bit ridiculous but still provides some interest.

Bumper Allen (Adam Devine) is stuck. He still dreams of making it as a singer while working university security. Everybody else seems to have moved on with their lives. He gets a call from former competitor turned manager Pieter Krämer (Flula Borg). Bumper is big in Germany. Heidi (Sarah Hyland) is Pieter's assistant.

This is a TV spinoff from the movie franchise. Normally, this is a B-movie sequel to the mother franchise. Adam DeVine reprises his role as Bumper Allen and he's a pretty good lead. I like his goofiness and sincere doggedness. I like this ragtag group including Sarah Hyland. The first season has six episodes but it probably only had enough material for a good four episodes. The show got cut due to the strikes.

The Good: Great production values! The producers had obviously a lot of money to spend, and they've spent it well. Kudos to the location scouts in Berlin - a good mix of well known and nice lesser known places. A few expensive German actors have been hired: Udo Kier (who became famous in 1973/1974 by impersonating Baron von Frankenstein AND Count Dracula in the two Andy Warhol horror movies) plays a crazy artist and father. Til Schweiger, arguably the biggest German movie star right now, appears in episode 3. Katharina Thalbach, the Grand Dame of the Berlin theatre, plays a ghoulish mix of Lotte Lenya (From Russia with Love), some character by Ingmar Bergman ("Sweden is in Germany, right?" - The screenwriters.) and a crazy old lady. Granted, only Udo Kier should be a part of this good news section. But this is a musical and the most important aspect is of course the musical quality. The music is well produced and nice. Unremarkable, but nice. Actually there should have been more of it.

The Strange: The casting! There are quite a few questionable and strange casting choices. I guess Adam Devine is an acquired taste, something I did not quite manage to achieve. He is the goofy normal guy and I respect the choice to make him the star of a show and not just the comic relief sidekick, but I'm sure he'll annoy a few people. Very annoying is the permanent grimacing of Flula Borg. He looks like he's got some severe mental problems. Whoever told him to act this way made a big mistake.- Some scenes are completely nonsensical, confusing strangeness with humor. A prime example for this is the appearance by Til Schweiger in a Youtube-2017-like sketch as Pickle Til. It is desperately unfunny, but there are layers upon layers of absurdities.

The Bad: The ignorance! The screenwriters didn't have the foggiest idea about Germany. They got everything wrong, and they didn't care at all. Using some stereotypes for humorous effects is fine, but the total ignorance is just lame and stupid. US-screenwriters in the 1970s have been much more culturally savvy that this bunch of hacks. The writers' ignorance is universal. At one point they have a bureaucrat, who spends his leisure time at a music festival, legally perform a marriage. There is no country on earth, where this is possible. "But that's the joke!" No, it isn't. This is a musical and the story is clichéd and silly, alright. But especially in episode 6 this reaches levels of sillyness and cringe that shouldn't even be possible. There is no discernible connection to reality. Going completely over the top can be a stylistic device, but here it only feels amateurish, childish and sluggish. The authors probably feel like high-riders, thinking big and stunning the plebs. That's funny. They should not give up their daytime jobs. They are terrible.

The Bottom Line: Technically fine, but utter nonsense - watch it with really low expectations.