Ted 2- Movie Review

Rating: C+ 

Review: The highly anticipated sequel to Ted hit theaters this week. I had the opportunity to catch it on opening night. Being a giant fan of the first film, I was incredibly hyped for the sequel. It had been three long years since we had last seen the dynamic duo of Johnny (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane). I was looking forward to the raunchy, sexual, borderline offensive humor that the original film brought. Although some of that reappeared, I just did not enjoy this movie as much as the first.

Capturing lightning in a bottle twice is quite the task. A sequel, especially in the comedy genre, can prove to be disastrous. Yet, recently that perception has changed. 22 Jump Street came out and showed audiences that sequels can be just as funny. I also feel like Pitch Perfect 2 did just the same. Now don't get me wrong, Ted 2 is funny. You will legitimately enjoy the film. Yet, it suffered the same flaws the original film had. Unlike other good sequels that improved on what made their predecessor work, Ted 2 repeated mistakes. Right away, you get about a hilarious twenty minutes of comedy. Yet, as the film continues, the laughs come less and less. Ted suffered the same issue. By the third act of the film, the comedy aspect of this film is gone. It goes from a raunchy comedy to an almost childish, tacky humorless film. I left this movie with a bad taste in my mouth.

My major issue with the film was the plot. In Ted, the story is focused on Johnny (Mark Wahlberg). The teddy bear Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) is his hilarious sidekick. That's why Ted was absolutely hilarious. The dynamic those two brought in their respective roles worked perfectly. Yet, in this movie, the roles are switched. The focus of the film is on Ted. Although funny, the new swap in importance hindered Mark Wahlberg's performance. I didn't find him remotely funny in this film. Despite the title of Ted, Mark Wahlberg's character was the leading man. He made the movie work. Ted 2 shifted the focus and legitimately hurt the movie. Also, I didn't find Amanda Seyfried funny. Mark Wahlberg had nobody to bounce humor off of in certain romantic scenes because she wasn't funny. 

Is Ted 2 a good comedy? In it's own respect, yes. If you enjoyed the first, you will like this movie. It has the same raunchy humor the original presented. Yet, the shift in focus really bothered me. It could just be me over analyzing. But, at the end of the day, I enjoyed Ted a lot more than it's new sequel.