Ted 2 (2015) Directed by Seth MacFarlane. Starring: Mark Whalberg, Seth MacFarlane, Amanda Seyfried. IMDB says: “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.”
This sequel to 2012’s Ted again stars Mark Wahlberg as John Bennett, an adult who wished that his childhood teddy bear was alive, and Seth MacFarlane as the voice of that bear. Giovanni Ribisi also makes a comeback as an off-kilter man who has wanted his own Ted ever since he was a kid. Noticeably absent from the cast is Mila Kunis, who played John’s girlfriend, Lori, in the first movie. Amanda Seyfried is instead on board as John’s love interest.
While most of the original movie focused on John and how Ted put a strain on his relationship with Lori, Ted 2 focuses more on Ted. He wants to adopt a child, but cannot because the state views him as property and not as a person. Its a ridiculous plot that never gets too serious. Like the original movie, they cram in as many jokes as possible. A majority of them are off-color as is the usual with MacFarlane’s style of comedy.
Ted 2 does seem to be lacking some of the charm the original had. The fact that Kunis wasn’t brought back for the sequel forces an excuse for why she wasn’t with John. They write in the plot that they got divorced between the two movies which kind of takes away a little from the original movie, but Amanda Seyfried is really good in the film. She plays a straight character for John and Ted to play off of, but it could have been nice for her character to have a chance to be more comedic. Nevertheless, she’s very likeable and brings a lot to the movie.
Since the story revolves more around Ted this time, John takes more of a back seat in the sequel. Instead of story about a grown man with a talking teddy bear, Ted 2 is more of a story about a talking teddy bear that has some grown up friends. While probably equally as ridiculous, it changes the dynamic a lot and cuts down on some of Mark Wahlberg’s chances to be funny. There weren’t as many stand out one liners and quips upon first watch of Ted 2 compared to the first.
If you are a fan of Ted and MacFarlane’s tv shows, you’ll find similar enjoyment out of Ted 2. If you are a more passing fan of his productions, you can wait to catch this on Red Box or VOD you most likely won’t be disheartened that you didn’t see it in theaters. The audience I saw it with did audibly grown at a few of the jokes which could be good or bad depending how you see the goals of the film. Either way, it’s better than A Million Ways to Die in the West.
