How much more absurd could it get, than the foul-mouthed, beer-guzzling, weed-smoking teddy bear that Seth MacFarlane unleashed on us in 2012? The answer, for better or worse, is 100% more absurd. And I mean absurd in a good way. “Ted 2,” the off-the-wall sequel is so politically incorrect; you sometimes question whether it’s OK to laugh. Everyone gets burned; from the Kardashians to Jay Leno, and it’s downright hysterical.
At first glance, “Ted 2” is just a celebrity-filled cameo sequel. But somehow, MacFarlane and his writing team (Alec Sulkin & Wellesley Wild) managed to balance the idiocy of John (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted’s immature friendship with a little bit of heart.
This time around, John is newly divorced and Ted is tying the knot with his grocery store co-worker Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth). As marital problems begin to affect the newlyweds, Ted and Tami-Lynn decide to have a baby in order to save their marriage. Their hopes are crushed when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts declares Ted to be not a person, but property, and therefore ineligible to adopt. He is fired from his job at the grocery store and summarily informed that his marriage has been annulled. They enlist Samantha L. Jackson (Amanda Seyfried), a young attorney and medical-marijuana aficionada to represent and help to legalize Ted.
With her laid back persona, Seyfried is the perfect addition to this team of stoners. She has a playful chemistry with Wahlberg and his ‘thunder buddy,’ Ted. Giovanni Ribisi is back as the slimy stalker who is still determined to have Ted for his very own. New to this bad-mannered tale is an oh-so-serious Morgan Freeman and slick John Slattery as two big shot attorneys.
But the best of the best in “Ted 2” are the cameos; from New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady as Ted’s potential sperm donor, to Dennis Haysbert as the pessimistic fertility doctor. Hands down, the best celebrity walk-on involves a “Taken” star and a box of Trix. But I won’t give too many surprises away…
If you’re more of a prude who cringes at any obscenities, then maybe you should catch a Disney flick instead. But, if you can handle an overload of racial insults and vulgarity, then “Ted 2” could quite possibly have you rolling in the aisles.
By Pamela Price
Running Time: 115 minutes
Rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, and some drug use
