The talking bear story that was originally released back in 2012, starring Mark Wahlberg and director Seth MacFarlane as the titular protagonist of Ted is one of the funniest new films that we’ve seen. It’s an entirely original concept, about how a kid’s childhood wish of having its best plushy pal awaken into a living being turns into a story of weirdly funny adult jokes and comedy moments. The thing about Ted was the originality that massively made it different. It’s an adult comedy film, made for adults and catered towards adults as well. However, upon first glance; it feels like a children’s movie ready to be watched with your whole family.
How to Stream or Download Ted 2
To stream or to download the film from a digital store, click on the Download button that is located below this review. Check out also another great Seth MacFarlane’s move that we have reviewed – Sing.
The Movie Review
The film follows the story of a boy named Johnny, who’s got no friends, is bullied constantly, and has no one but his plushy friend Ted to support him. Once on Christmas eve, Johnny wishes for a best friend, and Ted comes to life. Yep, it’s as simple as that.
Of course, the film doesn’t remain at Johnny as an 8-year-old, it actually switches things up and fast-forwards to him and Ted as 30-year-old best friends living in Boston.
They do everything that you’d expect from Bachelor bros to get up to, they drink a lot of beer, cuss a lot, watch lots of football and smoke a lot of pot. It’s all fun and games until Johnny finds a girlfriend, and Ted realizes he needs to move out and get a job. Ted 2 follows Johnny and Ted as Ted decides to have a baby with his girlfriend, but the court declares Ted to not be a real person; but rather property.
Seth McFarlane’s known to create some exquisitely funny comedy films, such as extensive work on Family Guy and his films like A Million Ways to Die in the West. Ted was his most unique film by far though, and it focuses on Ted’s character way more than the first film. Johnny was the protagonist in the original film, but in this one it’s Ted.
His character goes through a funnily emotional arc, where he basically gives it his all to be a father. It then takes everything into a weirder place, with funny recreations of scenes from Raging Bull, and the creepy stalker who kidnaps Ted.
I really appreciate the film’s wacky tone, it’s got everything you need for it to be a good adult summer movie. It’s got a whole lot of heart, a whole lot of original jokes, and a whole lot of moments you’ll remember.
I did find the film to have somewhat horrible pacing though, with scenes shifting from left to right without much development, and some sequences showing up without any prior mention of them. In particular, the courtroom sequence, where Ted is declared a piece of property.
As always, Seth McFarlane’s Bostonian accent shines bright in this film, with him doing a pretty good deep voice impression of Peter Griffin from Family Guy. Mark Wahlberg somehow also hits some really good comedic timing moments, with his sequences being much funnier than they were in the last film. His work’s usually not the best in comedy films, even though he does do a lot of them. To be fair though, he’s playing the same character he’s always played.
The visual effects are perfection. It’s just the right amount of practical effects and visual effects which make this film such a banger to look at. Ted indeed does look even more realistic than the original film, however, sometimes he does seem extremely bendy in a way that a living doll wouldn’t be able to.
The cinematography is pretty bad though and makes the film look more like a sitcom than anything else. It’s honestly like a high-budget absurdist sitcom, that could probably air after It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia every Sunday night.
The Bottom Line
In summary, Ted 2 is a fun movie. It’s fun in the sense that it has a ton of funny moments, it’s not boring at all, it’s very random with some sequences and it doesn’t try to be more than what it is. It’s supposed to be a comedy movie, and it is that exactly.
Johnny and Ted’s weird fascination with Flash Gordon is the only thing that is brought back as continuity from the original film aside from Ted’s relationship with Tami-Lynn. Though the film does lack a lot of flair and personality, it’s a good time.
