There's a very good 90 minute movie spread throughout the 115 minute runtime

Rating: 6/10 (17 May 2015)

While this sequel entertains nearly to the same extent as the original, the film suffers from a surfeit of ambition. Director Elizabeth Banks builds several plots over the nearly 2 hour run time when the audience for the film is more so looking to hear the hits: women referring to each other with a certain 5 letter word starting with the letter "b", some dirty talk but not too much dirty action, some singing and a whole lot of snark on top of an "A" plot of an underdog singing group besting their betters. Instead we get a little too much soul-searching about graduation and adjusting to change.
A second major problematic decision can be summed by saying "too much Rebel Wilson and not enough Anna Kendrick". Much like "Mater" in Pixar's cars, Wilson's "Fat Amy" character worked well as a seasoning in the original but gets too be a little to much as an more integral part of the plot in the sequel. We get a modestly serious subplot involving her on-again / off-again romance with Adam Devine's "Bumper". Much like her character's struggle, Kendrick seems somewhat checked out and the direction doesn't allow her to drive the film as strongly as her lead actress chops allow.
The strength of the film lies in a cornucopia of cameos. In particular Michael Key's turn as Kendrick's music producer brings a host of laughs and a level of gravitas to the film. When does he get to be a lead? Not soon enough if he's this good on film. Other cameos particularly from players from NFL's Green Bay Packers and an un-credited appearance from Parker Posey, makes for a good time.
In short, an entertaining if not stellar sequel to the surprise 2012 hit.