Ted 2, 2015.
Directed by Seth MacFarlane.
Starring Seth MacFarlane, Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Jessica Barth, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson.
SYNOPSIS:
Newlywed couple Ted and Tami-Lynn want to have a baby, but in order to qualify to be a parent, Ted will have to prove he’s a person in a court of law.
Seth MacFarlane has an unusual gift for injecting heart into outlandishly vulgar and crass material. Over the years, his success through television and filmmaking have come from a very discernible brand of humor; no topic is off-limits and he will fearlessly deliver a heavy-handed message about society smack dab in the middle of a world that makes no sense and is inhabited by imaginative, colorful characters.
One such example is Ted (Seth MacFarlane), a toy teddy bear come to life after being wished so by his best friend John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), and in 2012 they inhaled a lot of pot, strengthened their friendship in the face of each other’s relationships, smoked more pot, and seemingly went on to live happily ever after. To call the first film a wild ride would be an understatement, but most importantly it wrapped up its story in a way where a sequel seemed wholly unnecessarily. And truthfully Ted 2 doesn’t need to exist, but it’s a hell of a lot funnier than most comedy sequels, which seems unfathomable coming into it considering the entire character of Mila Kunis was written out, subsequently rendering that happy ending pointless.
Ted 2 strikes gold however by replacing her with Amanda Seyfried; a much more talented actress who is also given a role that better clicks with the story. Who didn’t find Mila Kunis’ rampant bitching regarding how John should choose between her or a freaking foul-mouthed, weed loving teddy bear annoying? Even though there is very little depth or insight on why the two actually broke up, it doesn’t really matter because Amanda Seyfried’s pothead lawyer character joining in on the playful mischief jives perfectly with everything already established. Out with the old, in with the new!
Most importantly, Ted 2 is laugh-out-loud hilarious, whether it is making effective use of its settings (the courtroom scenes are less prevalent and serious than the trailers lead on, and there is also complete chaos at New York Comic Con), roping in some unforgettable cameo appearances (Liam Neeson’s scene is one of the funniest all year), or Seth MacFarlane’s live-action cartoon approach, things are most definitely on par with the first movie.
As previously mentioned, there is also a heart to the story regarding Ted‘s legal citizenship and societies habit of mistreating those that are different. There are moments of Ted comparing his situation to the oppression and freedom struggle for African-Americans and homosexuals which at first may come across awkward, until you just accept that MacFarlane is hitting his points on the nose. People fear anything abnormal and condemn it; furthermore history repeats itself consistently.
Of course, none of this is explored for very long as Ted 2 is first and foremost a comedy, but MacFarlane knows how to strike a healthy balance between juvenile humor and using his characters to express some of his passionate personal beliefs. Is it perfect? No, it is mentioned that Ted must prove that he is making a contribution to society to be deemed human, which is something that never truly happens. None of the characters really grow as people when in the context of the narrative it feels like they should; instead everyone ends the movie still fairly immature. The reason Ted is having his rights revoked is because trying to adopt a child rose awareness to the government; forget a teddy bear tying the knot or paying bills, pursuit of fatherhood is what causes the nightmare.
There is also the frustrating downfall of Ted 2 devolving into a rehash of the first movie towards the final act. Jokes from the original even start to repeat. It’s still full of absurd shenanigans that will leave viewers punching their seat in a fit of hysterics, but at the end of the day it is somewhat disappointing that the script couldn’t resist heading down that path when the rest of the movie surprisingly does a pretty good job at separating itself from the original.
Ted 2 is a Seth MacFarlane movie through and through; it is profane, full of sexual content, drugs, cameos, old-school pop culture references, musical numbers, and admirable themes. What could have easily been an uninspired, cash-in sequel has wound up not just one of the funniest movies of the year, but a slice of Hollywood entertainment with a worthwhile message regarding equality. You’ll laugh, you’ll feel emotions, and you might just somehow get a high from all of the marijuana consumed on-screen.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder – An aficionado of film, wrestling, and gaming. Follow me on Twitter or friend me on Facebook
https://youtu.be/yIuEu1m0p2M?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published June 24, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
