It’s a comedy about a talking teddy bear. No need to read too much into it.
Her are five questions for “Ted 2.”
What’s it about?
After experiencing some marital problems, Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) and Tami-Lyn decide to salvage their relationship by having a baby. But Ted has some anatomical shortcomings, so they look into options such as artificial insemination and even adoption. That’s when Ted learns that according to the government, he’s considered property and not a person, which leads into a battle for his civil rights. Of course, Ted’s thunder buddy for life best friend John (Mark Wahlberg) is there to support him every step of the way.
How funny is it?
Comedy is such a subjective subject. What makes one person laugh out loud makes another roll their eyes. That being said, I thought it was hilarious, especially in the first half. There are some really creative and funny bits that had me rolling, most notably a conversation about cereal between Ted and a well-known action star in an inspired cameo and the genius use of the score from “Jurassic Park.” Some gags feel forced, and at times, the film feels like an episode of MacFarlane’s “The Family Guy,” where jokes are just thrown at the audience like machine gun fire, hoping that some are hits. But overall, there are more hits than misses.
Should I give the sequel a chance even though I hated the original?
I had to really fight hard to get my girlfriend to watch this with me because she thought the first film was absolutely ridiculous and stupid. But as we watched, I definitely heard her laugh numerous times. When I told her after the film that I knew that she would laugh, she replied, “Yeah, only because it was so stupid!” She won’t admit to thinking the film was funny, but laughs don’t lie.
Does it have rewatch value?
I often judge the quality of a comedy by its rewatchability. There’s a reason why films like “Home Alone” and “There’s Something About Mary” are constantly replayed on cable television. We’ve heard all of the punchlines before, but we watch anyway because the films hold up. So would I watch “Ted 2” if it popped up on TV? If it was on HBO, yes. If it was on TBS, then no. Lots of the film’s identity is tied in with its language and purifying the film by editing out the swear words is really pointless. But even on a premium cable channel, I’d probably only watch the first half. The second half of the film slows down quite a bit with a civil rights trial and road trip that don’t have the same frequency of successful gags.
Where does Ted rank among other bears?
5) Smokey Bear – Always teaching us how to prevent forest fires
4) Gentle Ben – A giant bear with a heart to match
3) Fozzie Bear – Waka waka waka!
2) Ted – Slacker, silly and stoned
1) Po – Come on, he knows kung fu!