Review: Ted 2

The Thunder Buddies are back in this agreeable, if ultimately disappointing, sequel to Seth MacFarlane's surprise smash Ted. A follow-up was always going to be a tricky proposition as what are you left with when the novelty of a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear has already worn off? Turns what remains is more of the same, though MacFarlane and co-screenwriters Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild incorporate some not always successful serious plot turns.

Set a few years after the original, the sequel opens with Ted's wedding to his trashy co-worker Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth). Best friend John (Mark Wahlberg) naturally serves as best man, though he's still down in the dumps from the dissolution of his own marriage to Lori (Mila Kunis, absent from the proceedings due to her real-life pregnancy). Ted's own marriage hits the rocks a year later when whispered sweet nothings have become shouting matches over Tami-Lynn's spending sprees at Filene's Basement.

Determined to save his marriage, Ted decides the best solution is to have a baby. There is one major obstacle: Ted is not exactly equipped to father a child. Exploring the alternatives fuel the first third of the film, inarguably Ted 2's best and most relaxed section. MacFarlane is in his comfort zone as he devises one scheme after another, from the best friends attempting to steal the sperm of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (gamely lending himself to a timely joke about his balls) to a disastrous accident at a sperm bank that finds John soaked in the white liquid. Not to fear, Ted says, "You're covered with rejected black guy sperm. You look like a Kardashian."

After Tami-Lynn learns she's infertile, the couple decide to adopt but the state of Massachusetts does not legally view Ted as a human being, only mere property. The ramifications of this include Ted being stripped of all his civil rights, and his marriage to Tami-Lynn deemed invalid. The buddies seek the help of young lawyer Sam L. Jackson (Amanda Seyfried), who impresses them with her bong smoking and her ignorance of pop culture. Together, they appeal to the courts to have Ted declared as a person and not as a property.

The barrage of jokes and tangential cutaways that work so well within a half hour format don't always translate to the big screen, which can be a far less forgiving medium. MacFarlane still has issues adjusting his pacing and timing for the big screen. It wasn't quite as obvious in Ted, where the jokes came fast and furious. Ted 2, which contends with deeper issues that parallel Ted's plight with those of disenfranchised minorities, shows the strain as the jokes slow to a trickle. This exposes one of MacFarlane's weaknesses, namely his lack of judiciousness when it comes to joke and side plot selection. Gags that should have ended up in the bin are given significant focus. The New York Comic Con set piece is a prime example as is the subplot involving the further machinations of the harebrained stalker Donny (Giovanni Ribisi). Both only serve to drag down the latter half of the film.

Even the central relationship between Ted and John feels shortchanged, though the chemistry between the two is resilient enough to withstand some of the more sub-par comic contrivances. Seyfried and Morgan Freeman (as a civil rights attorney) are nice additions. The visual effects are seamless. MacFarlane's hallmark blend of the raucous, profane, and puerile is intact, though it has been mysteriously dialed down. As the opening credits to Family Guy and many of its episodes attest, MacFarlane loves a good old-fashioned musical number and one of Ted 2's unabashed highlights is the glorious Busby Berkeley-style dance number featuring Ted and a chorus line of dancers atop a giant wedding cake. The scene has a no-holds-barred, go-for-broke, devil-may-care attitude that the rest of the film fails to possess.

Ted 2

Directed by: Seth MacFarlane

Written by: Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, Amanda Seyfried, Morgan Freeman, Jessica Barth, Giovanni Ribisi, John Slattery, John Carroll Lynch, Patrick Warburton, Michael Dorn, Sam J. Jones, Bill Smitrovich