Ted 2: Movie Review
When it comes to making a sequel to a blockbuster comedy, it really never should be attempted. That doesn’t stop studios from trying to cash in on the success of the first film. Sequels (especially comedy) are usually lazy retreads that more often than not, fail at recapturing the magic which made the first film work. Just look at the follow-ups to “The Hangover”, “Dumb and Dumber”, and “Hot Tub Time Machine”. Those are perfect examples of why comedies should not have sequels. However, every once in awhile, a film comes along that proves to be an exception to the rule. “Ted 2” happens to be one of those very rare exceptions, because Seth MacFarlane somehow was able to make a sequel that is just as good as the original.
The story begins with Ted (voiced by MacFarlane) marrying Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth). John (Mark Wahlberg) is right there by Ted’s side as best man and Sam Jones (playing himself) is there to officiate the wedding. This is the best day of Ted’s life. Cut to a year later, Ted and Tami-Lynn are having marriage issue. To fix their marriage, they decided to try and have a baby. However since Ted doesn’t have the right biological equipment to father a child and Tami-Lynn has her own health issues, they try to look for other options.
Things are pretty stressful for Ted, but they get much worse when the State declares that Ted is not an actual person, which gives him no-human rights. This causes his marriage to be not recognized by the state and to top it off, he is fired from his job because he is not an actual person. Think it can’t get any worse? Remember Donny (Giovanni Ribisi) from the first film? Well he is back as well and has his own plans for Ted.
As I describe the plot of “Ted 2”, I realize how depressing it sounds. Trust me, it’s not! This movie is extremely funny and there are some fantastic cameos. Amanda Seyfried plays Ted’s lawyer, Samantha, who just might be a new love interest for John. The chemistry between Seyfried and Wahlberg is great. I am not knocking Mila Kunis who was just fine in the first film, but Seyfried’s character is a better match.
One thing I noticed about “Ted 2” is just how offensive the humor is here. Seriously, some things are said that at times I felt were taken a bit too far. However, that didn’t stop me from laughing. Like the first film, this is an R-Rated comedy and definitely not for kids. Let’s hope that Seth MacFarlane doesn’t run out of steam when the studio requests “Ted 3”.
By: Marc Ferman