The world's favorite talking teddy bear is back for more in Ted 2. This time, Ted wants to have a baby with his new human wife, Tami-Lynn, but because the government does not recognize him as a person, it is against the law for him to have a baby. Mark Wahlberg and Seth McFarlane are back with newcomers Amanda Seyfried and Morgan Freeman. But was Ted 2 a good movie?
The story seems like a semi-interesting plot but it was actually the worst part of the movie. It was strangely too serious which is one of the things I hate the most that comedies do. If you are making a comedy, make it a comedy throughout. It can still be a great movie with a serious undertone (See 22 Jump Street). I can easily see how some people could be offended by the plot of a civil rights movement. People actually had to go through this kind of thing and it treated very odd in the movie. Although it didn't particularly bother me, I really didn't like the seriousness of the plot.
However, I did laugh a bunch in this movie. The best parts were all the random cutaway gags that MacFarlane is known for in Family Guy and his other work. There is one bit with a big celebrity cameo that is one of my favorite scenes of 2015 so far. I won't spoil it but you'll know when you see it. Other great scenes took place in an Improv club, the woods, and New York Comic Con. These scenes were comedic gold and I loved them so much.
One thing I didn't love was that there was not 1, not 2, but 3 musical numbers in the movie. The first was in the very beginning of the movie and it felt like the Family Guy opening but only 5 minutes longer and not funny. The second one wasn't that funny but was a solid effort and the third was actually good but only because of one bit in it. There were also lots of references and homages to movies that were amazing. Jurassic Park, Rocky, The Breakfast Club and more show up in some capacity and they are all very good.
Mark Wahlberg is great as always and I love seeing him in comedies. His interactions with Ted are still pretty good but started to feel a little old after a while. Mila Kunis was "Transformers 3'd" in the movie and was replaced by Amanda Seyfried who I think was a big improvement. She was very funny and I actually cared about her character unlike Kunis' Lori. Ted was funny of course but the concept of a talking teddy bear that does drugs with his buddy started to get old as well.
Overall, Ted 2 is a fun time if you can turn off your brain for 2 hours. It is a dumb movie but it is still a fun time at the cinema. Although it isn't as good as Ted 1, it is MUCH better than A Million Ways to Die in the West. It has enough great scenes to make up for the bad so Ted 2 is above average.
3/5 Stars