Ted 2

Ted turned out to be a runaway success for Seth MacFarlane, bringing his crude, pop cultured filled humor from the animated world to the live-action big screen. A sequel is typically when a director finds his form, but Ted 2 features much of the same humor from the first, only with a new coat of fur. The first film revolved around whether or not John (Mark Wahlberg) should grow up and behave like an adult, although it appears that any growing that may have occurred has been lost in the three years between films.

Unfortunately John and Lori’s relationship from the first film didn’t work out, but things are going strong for Ted (Seth MacFarlane) and Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth). The film opens with their wedding ceremony and shortly after they want to have a baby together. In the process of adopting, however, it is revealed that Ted is not legally a person and that he holds no rights. Ted, along with John’s help and the drive of their newly appointed lawyer Samantha Leslie Jackson (Amanda Seyfried), must now fight the government in court in the hopes of being legally declared a human.

Ted 2 is much like the first with crass jokes and more pop culture references than an episode of Family Guy. It’s typical Seth MacFarlane. At one point, Ted and John go on a mission to steal Tom Brady’s sperm; it’s that ridiculous. The thing about the film, however, is that when it works, it works. There are some scenes, like one in particular at a stand up comedy show, that are absolutely hilarious. The film is strongest when Ted and John are together, usually in the process of making fun of each other. The main problem is that these moments of genuine laughter are few and far between.

The film struggles with its story. So much of it feels unnecessarily long winded. The scene where Ted, John, and Samantha travel to New York and get lost in the woods perfectly exemplifies this with a random campfire song sung by Seyfried that neither entertains nor moves the story along in anyway. The only giveaway from the section is a hilarious Jurassic Park reenactment, only with marijuana instead of dinosaurs. It’s funny, but definitely not worth the effort of the rest of the scene.

That’s how the majority of Ted 2 plays out. There are some genuinely great scenes and cameo appearances from a plethora of actors, but the filler between them is just not worth it. Seth MacFarlane is great at making us laugh. If only he was better at telling us a story, too.