By: Mike Agostinelli
Comedy sequels are usually a mixed bag. Most of the time, there really isn’t even a pressing need for them to exist; merely being made solely for a cash grab off of the originals superiority. After seeing the original Ted, I remember thinking I wouldn’t mind a return trip with these people. Minus Mila Kunis though, who I found to be an insufferable nag and a hindrance in the first film. I was delighted to hear she would not be returning to the sequel due to pregnancy, but then I also found out what the plot entailed, and I was confused to say the least.
Ted 2 picks up essentially where we left off in the first film, with Ted and Tami-Lynn getting married in the opening scene, with the revelation that John and Lori mercifully got divorced between the two installments. But lo and behold, Ted and Tami aren’t very good at the whole marriage thing, and more divorce seems to be looming unless Ted can produce a child for his woman. This then sets the plot into gear, revolving around Ted having to prove he’s legally a living, breathing human in order to get his life back, including his recently disregarded-by-law marriage. This struck me as an odd central idea to hinge the plot of your teddy bear comedy sequel about. It seemed preachy and too courtroom-centric for what I assumed a Ted sequel should be. But it also ended up shocking me by how well it works. Well. most of it.
Ted 2 is undeniably a Seth MacFarlane movie. Just like all his other works (Family Guy, American Dad, A Million Ways To Die In The West) the movie is prone to tangets and oddly quiet dead spots where not a single chuckle or reaction can be heard from the surrounding audience. Its also an oddly quiet movie itself. The first half is less funny than it likely should be (besides a hilarious bit with Liam Neeson and a box of Trix cereal), and it occasionally sinks into weirdly serious scenes, like an early one where Ted and Tammi have a legit domestic dispute with barely anything funny happening. But once the movie finds its rhythm, it takes its concept and runs with it in surprising and entertaining ways. What could have devolved into a preachy, stuffy courtroom comedy opens up into a worthy follow-up to the first film.
It ends up turning into a road trip movie, complete with Jurassic Park references and a visit to New York Comic Con, where an all out nerd brawl ensues and Giovanni Ribisi’s character returns to capture his beloved teddy bear that got away. It gets wild and crazy and outrageous, falling more in line with what you would expect from a Ted sequel. The first one was front-loaded with its humor, and petered out in its second half. This sequel flips that, saving its funniest stuff for the movies second half.
If this review seems short, its because there really isn’t much more to dissect. Its a stupid, fun comedy sequel about a talking teddy bear. If you enjoyed the first you will most likely get a kick out of most of this one.
I give Ted 2 a 7.5 out of 10.
Next up: Terminator Genisys