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Movie Review: Ted 2

Dane Jackson

Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane are back as John Bennett and his childhood stuffed bear Ted in the new film Ted 2. For those not familiar with the first film, Ted comes to life after a Christmas wish a younger John makes. Fast forward to the present, and both are grown up losers (of the lovable variety), smoking weed and drinking beer through life. A few years have passed in between the first movie and the sequel, and some things have Ted 2changed. John is now divorced, and, as Ted 2 opens, Ted is marrying his one true love Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth).

The film’s conflict begins once the honeymoon is over. Ted and Tami-Lynn are fighting more than expected and after some advice from a fellow cashier, Ted and Tami-Lynn decide to have a baby. The only problem is, Ted is a living stuffed animal with no working parts. Through the trials and tribulations of having a child, the government finally realizes Ted isn’t a real person and starts taking away his rights. To be considered a real person, he decides to sue for his rights, and it just so happens the only lawyer he can afford (pro bono) is a stoned junior associate named Samantha L. Jackson (Amanda Seyfried). With everything going on in the United States today, there are many obvious parallels with Ted’s plight that were played to mostly comical effect.

Aside from the plot set ups, the beats in Ted 2 follow its predecessor – the humor, the eventual fallout between Ted and John, Ted getting in trouble, John coming to his rescue – almost to a “T.” If you like Family Guy or comedies of that ilk, you’ll probably like this movie. Even though this time around there are more misses than hits in the comedy arena, when the movie does hit, they’re grand slams. The problem is, the jokes that don’t hit are particularly groan-worthy. In fact, there were times where I could swear I’ve already seen the same gag on an episode of Family Guy. Even the movie’s opening credits were lifted from MacFarlane’s show.

One thing I did enjoy with the sequel were the frequent cameos and A-list stars. Of course Flash Gordon (Sam Jones) makes a return visit, but this time around he’s joined by the likes of Tom Brady, Morgan Freeman, and someone with a particular set of skills. Also, as two lovers, Michael Dorn (Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Patrick Warburton (the voice of Joe Swanson on Family Guy, as well as The Tick) steal every scene they’re involved with, especially their scenes walking around New York City Comic-Con.

When it’s all said and done, Ted 2 is a decent comedy. It falls into a lot of the traps of other sequels though – it’s not as good, feels a bit lazy, and can’t live up to the fun of its predecessor. While it’s worth watching for some laughs (that is, if you don’t blush easily), with how much movies cost at the theaters these days, Ted 2 falls more in line with a rental or DVD purchase instead.

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Dane Jackson

Dane Jackson has been writing about movies since high school when he had a monthly column in the school paper about cult movies. His cinematic tastes have matured (slightly) since then.
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