Review – Ted 2

A good comedy sequel is hard to come by.  Most of them are terrible, like Caddyshack 2 (1988),  Evan Almighty (2007), and The Hangover II (2011) .  But sometimes, in a very rare occurrence, you get a Wayne’ World 2 (1993), a comedy sequel that may not be as great as the original, but is still great in its own right and worthy of its predecessor.

I am happy to report that Ted 2 is an example of the latter.  It is an uproarious, ridiculous, sweet film that is just as fun as the original.

We pick up a few years down the line from the original where Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) is getting married to his girlfriend Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth).  As their relationship starts to deteriorate, the two decide a child will fix their issues.  They first try to get a donor, first from Flash Gordon himself Sam Jones, then Tom Brady, and then Ted’s best friend John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), who has recently been divorced.  When that fails, they look to adopt a child, where they also fail because they find out the state sees Ted as property and not a human, therefore being unable to adopt.  Ted’s life starts to crumble soon after, as everything he has in life, including his marriage, is all void since he is not a human.  That is when Ted and John take legal matters and hire lawyer Samantha Jackson (Amanda Seyfried) to help fight their case.

Wahlberg and Macfarlane are a great comedy team, even if one of them is a CGI bear.  They have a great rapport and chemistry that makes it irresistible to not love them.  Seyfried is a solid substitute for Mila Kunis, who starred in the original.  She holds her own comedically and adds wit and grace to a film filled with gross-out gags.  Giovanni Ribisi reprises his role from the original as the Ted-obsessed, awkwardly creepy Donnie and he nails his performance yet again.

The story of the film is actually a good one.  You would think with all the gags and hilarity that the plot would be irrelevant for this movie but it wasn’t.  I was very invested as to what the ruling at the end of the movie was going to be, even if it is pretty predictable, and I cared about the characters.  There were certain parts of the movie that seemed like skits right out of Macfarlane’s most famous creation, Family Guy, but they didn’t seem forced and worked very well when used.  There is also the message of equality through out the film.  It isn’t heavy handed or preachy, but it is there and it adds some heart to the story.

Macfarlane, who co-wrote and directed the film, is still trying his best to be this centuries Mel Brooks and this movie brings him one step closer.  Macfarlane took a huge leap backwards as an artist last year with the abysmal and unfunny A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), but he’s moving in the right direction here.  His jokes are funny, his pop culture references are on point, and he creates more complex characters than people give him credit for.  He also gives us a terrific opening credits dance number that is simply joyous to watch.

The first Ted (2012), in my opinion, is a comedy classic and one of the funniest and best comedies of this decade.  Ted 2 doesn’t quite reach that level, but it is still one of the funniest films I have seen this year and one of the best comedy sequels ever made.

MY RATING – 3.5/4

Did you see Ted 2?  What did you think?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @kevflix or on Facebook at Kevflix.