Ted 2 review: Big on laughs but for those who are yet to be converted, be warned – this could be a Ted-ious experience.
Ted 2 review
The cuddly, cursing, bear is back, having scored a hit in 2012’s Ted. The first film was undeniably funny, but detractors will point to a flimsy storyline that, like in Seth MacFarlane‘s animated sit-com, Family Guy serves only as a rickety vehicle to deliver sketch-like comedy set pieces.
This time around Ted marries his sweetheart, Tami-Lynn, and wants to be a parent. However, the evil company that manufactured him want to prove that he should be classed as an object rather than a person, and it’s up to Ted and best friend John (Mark Wahlberg) to convince a jury otherwise, or Ted risks being seized by the toymakers and cut open, so they can discover the secret behind his consciousness.
Ted 2 starts strongly as we catch up with Ted and find out what he and his pals have been up to since we last saw them. There are plenty of laughs as we learn of his marriage struggles and are treated to several excellent Family Guy-esque slapstick comedy moments, that work just as well with human actors as they would in the TV show.
Ted 2 review
A shower of semen and assorted dick jokes of varying quality and gross-out levels ensue; all standard MacFarlane fare that will please fans no end. The patter between John and his furry friend is the film’s trump card, which it plays to great effect. Ted 2 is at its best when the pair are lovingly ribbing each other or joining forces in causing a public nuisance.
Amanda Seyfried does well subbing in for Mila Kunis in the central female role. Seyfried’s Samantha is allowed to join in the fun as a pot-smoking lawyer where Kunis had to settle for the resident killjoy in the first outing. Unfortunately, Seyfried still isn’t given much to flex her comedy muscle as still seems sadly to be the standard for most of Hollywood’s female comic roles.
As with Ted and much of MacFarlane’s previous output, Ted 2‘s storyline seems to get in the way of the comedy, with the best gags coming from little asides that peel away from the plot. MacFarlane is so easily distracted he could be thrown off topic by a stray fart. Family Guy fans will be familiar with the, “that reminds me of the time when…” routine which you can feel him itching to use here as well. Furthermore, we’re force fed a couple of song and dance numbers and a lame montage which feel pretty cheap considering the talents of the writing team and cast.
Ted 2 review
Due to the tossing aside of the storyline in favour of some A-Grade playground humour early on, the film suffers in the final third when it attempts to revive some kind of meaning. Although Ted is a fun comedy character who looks cute in a raincoat, not enough emotional seeds have been sown to warrant a protracted court room tussle which only stifles the humour and fails to tread any new ground in what could have been an interesting line in the ‘what makes us human?’ debate.
Celebrity spotters will be pleased to learn that there are several cameos to look out for as well. Comedy fans we be disappointed to learn that they’re all shit, typified by a Liam Neeson walk-on that sees him inexplicably pop in to buy some breakfast cereal in what feels like a deleted scene. If MacFarlane was plumping for a thinly veiled, feature length sketch show, then fine, but someone should have told him that his three central characters are far more qualified for the job than the surrounding B-list fluff.
To say Ted 2 is a decent storyline away from being an excellent comedy movie seems damning, but there are enough big laughs here to make it a more than worthwhile experience for MacFarlane fans. For those who are yet to be converted, be warned – this could be a Ted-ious experience.
Ted 2 review by Dave Bennett, July 2015.
Ted 2 opens in cinemas from Wednesday 8th July,2015.
