Review: Ted 2 (2015)

           

       
       'Ted 2': The Thunder Buddies Strike Thunder Rather Than Lightning

          With some of the more serviceable sequels released this year, now I'm really crossing my fingers that, when Star Wars: The Force Awakens comes out, it doesn't fall under that category.

           Story:
           Ted 2 continues the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) and his teddy bear named Ted (Seth MacFarlane). Ted and his wife Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) want to have a child, but because Ted isn't a person and is considered property, he must fight for his human rights.

           Ups:
          The chemistry between Wahlberg and MacFarlane is still there. The two of them still work very well off each other and they also have great chemistry with Amanda Seyfried, who plays Ted's pot-smoking lawyer Sam L. Jackson. Some of the other returning players, like Giovanni Ribisi, Jessica Barth, and Patrick Warburton, shine as well.

          I even liked some of the celebrity cameos. One in particular that I loved was Liam Neeson as a grocery store customer buying a box of Trix.

          Thankfully, one of my biggest worries going into the film, of whether or not they would use the same jokes as the first one, were thrown out the window. While the jokes used in this one were repeated sometimes, it wasn't bothersome.

           Downs:
          Now, the whole idea of Ted trying to convince people he is a human being wasn't very realistic. I know that the movie isn't meant to have any deep storytelling, by any stretch. But the movie is still about a talking teddy bear trying to convince people he is a person even though it is pretty clear that he is an anthropomorphic object.

          I actually thought the first film was deeper than this one because of how it deals with Jon trying to let go from a friend he's lived with his whole life. While the first had the same raunchy and colorful humor, it still had plenty of heart underneath it all.

           Consensus:
          Overall, Ted 2 has the laughs, but doesn't quite capture the heart of the first. The chemistry between Wahlberg and MacFarlane is still there, but the film still feels like a 2 hour episode of Family Guy. But thankfully, that is what I expected going in.

          Would I Recommend It?:
         If you like Seth MacFarlane and his brand of humor, then yes. I would suggest seeing the first film before in case you get lost. Just don't expect anything deep or of awards caliber snd you won't be disappointed.

Grade: B-