Review of Ted 2 (2015) by Thomas B — 26 Aug 2015

Making moviegoers fear toys worse than a murderous, butcher's knife-wielding Chucky doll, this Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane reunion finds them stuffing the story with cheap celebrity digs and in-jokes without the unique and warm fluff of the funnier first Ted. Of course, that 2012 teddy picnic actually stole away all of that potential. It put forth the original tale of a grown-up's childhood toy come-to-life as a foul-mouthed wiseass stoner and told their story to a satisfying and oftentimes hilarious conclusion (too much so, in fact, as the storyline involving Giovanni Ribisi needed to excised). True, examining the plaything's rights in society and 'soul' in a greater context makes for an interesting footnote (indeed, it could've possibly made an entertaining short film), but Ted 2 exists just to spout pop culture jokes at a slanderous and poorly-aging clip like an extension of MacFarlane's own American Dad. Seriously, leave the stale Kardashian and Taken jokes to the late night writing staffs. And yes, Ted the first boasts Zeitgeist-riffing gags as well but the caliber of material's slightly richer and the unique premise in a newborn stage earns it more than a pass. Its deuce just plays on like a knock-off Teddy Ruxpin stuck on repeat.

In this R-rated comedy, newlywed couple Ted (voice of Seth MacFarlane) and Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) want to have a baby, but in order to qualify to be a parent, Ted will have to prove he's a person in a court of law.

Seth MacFarlane knows funny. In fact, with a CV that includes Family Guy on TV and Ted on-screen, he knows it pretty well. With his latest, he just appears to be stealing from himself. Following a parodic western with Ted 2 deserves to be double-billed "A Million Ways to Die in the Western Market." Mark Wahlberg proved he's funny in Ted and carries on in much the same amazed-at-everything manner that got him through Boogie Nights through Transformers 4. Amanda Seyfried jives with the material much more than Mila Kunis, star of Ted, ever did. Her character gets the benefit of being in on the joke, at least, and the actress makes the most of the middling script.

Bottom line: Bilge-A-Bear.