Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Yes!
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Of course.
Secret ending? Yes, all the way at the end.
Running time: 115 minutes (~2 hours)
“Ted 2” is a comedy that is the sequel to 2012’s “Ted.” It follows the adventures of a talking teddy bear, and his quest to find acceptance in the American legal system. It stars Mark Wahlberg (John Bennett), Seth MacFarlane (voice of Ted), Amanda Seyfried (Samantha Leslie Jackson), Jessica Barth (Tami-Lynn), Giovanni Ribisi (Donny), and Morgan Freeman (Patrick Meighan). It also features cameos by Tom Brady, Dennis Haysbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno, and Liam Neeson. It is rated M-18.
“Ted 2” is fun! Everyone who’s watched “Ted” has been eagerly awaiting this sequel, which doesn’t disappoint. Chock full of the irreverent comedy that made the first “Ted” such a hit, Ted’s even more mobile and cuter than he was in the original film. But when it all comes down to it, it’s the friendship between Ted and Johnny that’s what really makes it such a great film.
Highlights
Classic buddy comedy
While they invoke all the archetypes of the buddy comedy, one thing is certain about Ted and Johnny. Their bromance is unshakeable and their relationship is the foundation on which the story, and hence the humour, comes from. Their comedy comes from character, and this is the stuff that good jokes are made of.
Variety of visual gags
The constant use of imagery (90% of which are phallic) and juxtaposition of contrasting actions make the sight gags interesting to watch and observe. Of particular note is the above mentioned juxtaposition gag, where two wildly different things are happening in the same frame and both seem completely oblivious to each other. It may not seem like much, but it shows a lot of forethought and planning on the part of the director.
Extremely lewd jokes
Come on, that’s what we’re all here to see right? A vulgarity spewing teddy bear and his best friend’s illegal and usually unethical antics. It deserves its M18 rating for all the dirty jokes and F-bombs that are constantly spewed. But this lack of censorship is perhaps it’s greatest strength, as “Ted 2” can let loose with everything its got. No race, religion or country is off limits as long as the funnies are concerned!
Many asides
The fast-paced style of the movie means that it takes frequent detours just to pull off a joke, before bringing you back to the main story. It’s pretty fun to see the sudden asides that the movie can come up with, and since its focus is firmly on the humour, the jokes are well crafted and executed. It may be a lot of non-critical scenes added, but it’s well worth it.
Intertexual references
The great thing about being a pop culture film is that it really takes the effort to homage or give nods to other famous pop culture movies of our era. Even the secret ending does this, so remember to stay all the way to the end to catch its parody of a famous visual trope that we’ve unknowingly internalised — my friend missed out on this.
Choice use of reactions
What’s impressive is that the director recognises the importance of the reaction shot in comedies, more so than in any other funny film I’ve seen recently. So a lot more attention is given to the reactions of the characters, and this pays off wonderfully because much of humour comes from how Ted and Johnny react to each other’s shenenigans.
Letdowns
Villain doesn’t get resolution
The only nitpick I have is that the villain doesn’t get a satisfying resolution, and seems to have been forgotten about in the chaos of the whole ending. It’s not crucial, just that it would have helped in giving us more closure.
“Ted 2” is probably the best comedy of 2015, and you’d be hard pressed to find a funnier film than this. If it it rated PG, it would be the perfect comedy film.
“Ted 2” opens in cinemas 2 July, 2015 (Thursday).
This review was also published on Yahoo.
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