Ted 2

In the early 90´s, those of you who grew up at this time might remember Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch ? It was basically Mark Wahlberg, a young muscle rapper, trying to look gangsta. He actually made it on the charts, especially with the single Good Vibrations. I still remember some parts of that music video, where they were dancing with water splashing around from the ground. Mark Wahlberg got himself into trouble with the law, but managed to get himself up and begin his acting career. The first time i watched him act was in Renaissance Man, with Danny DeVito as a teacher for U.S. Army soldiers. Since then he have managed to build his acting career in an amazing way, with all kind of genre films, with everything from science fiction, horror, action and drama. One of my personal favourite films with Mark Wahlberg is called The Fighter. This was a film released in 2010, with Christian Bale and Amy Adams both really good as their characters, in this boxing drama, directed by David O. Russell. I would say i enjoyed The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke even more than The Boxer, but this film is very powerful, and it also shows what a great actor Mark Wahlberg can be with the right character.Over his career, Wahlberg always tries to do all kind of genre films, and it seems that he is not afraid to do different characters. Have anyone of you seen the cartoon tv show Family Guy? Of course you have. The creator of that show, Seth MacFarlane, is without an icon for creating this wonderful show, with so many classic episodes. He did create the tv show American Dad also, a cartoon show that did manage to deliver entertainment, but maybe not on the same level as Family Guy. Seth decided to do something different, and went on to direct a comedy called Ted in 2012. A comedy about a teddybear who becomes alive, and become best friend with John. The relationship between a man and a teddybear becomes insane, and Ted managed to joke about relationships, friendship, ordinary day problems in an intelligent way. It was actually one of the funniest comedies of the year 2012, so i was not surprised to hear that a sequel is on the way. The same director is back, with the lead characters from the first film, to deliver a new story in Ted 2. I was excited to see if this sequel would be just as funny as the first film. Is this sequel even better than last time, or a step into a completely wrong direction ?

Ted ( Seth MacFarlane ) is now married to his girlfriend Tammy-Lee ( Jessica Barth ), and have a huge wedding party. John Bennet ( Mark Wahlberg ), Ted´s best friend, is happy over his marriage, but is living single nowdays and not really positive these days. Ted and his wife Tammy-Lee, decides that they should be parents, but since Ted can´t make her pregnant, they ask John to help them with his sperm. After Tammy-Lee have had an x-ray, they find out that her drug use from her past have destroyed her chances of becoming pregnant. But this is not the only bad news, Ted is told not to be an american citizen anymore, and not legally seen as a living person, more as an object. Ted is furious, and John is by his side. This will be taken to court, and they manage to find a new lawyer, Samantha Leslie Jackson ( Amanda Seyfried ). Will Ted win against the government, and reclaim his right to be treated as a human being ?

Since i really enjoyed the first film, i was hoping that this sequel would hold the same tone as the first film, but still manage to do something unexpected. I am sorry to say that Ted 2 is not as good as the first film, the fact is that this sequel does not have the same comedy level as the first film does. One of the biggest problems is that the story this time is not as good, or feel that positive. I laughed a lot in the first film, while here i only laugh in some scenes, while some details feel drawn out, just to fill in the empty spaces. Mark Wahlberg is of course good, so i don´t have much to complain to his acting abilities, and Ted of course delivers in most of his scenes. Somehow, you sit there feeling dissapointed. The energy and feeling of the first film is not here, while you can see that they tried to capture the same tone. With that i said, i would still say that Ted 2 is a funny comedy, especially because of the vulgar style. There are many rude jokes, embarrassing moments, and Ted always manage to either say the wrong things, or his over sexual needs. Director Seth MacFarlane is back as the director, and you can tell he wants to try and follow the legacy of Ted, this time in a different way. I wish he would have been more flexible, and tried to stretch the jokes even further than what he does here. Some of the funny scenes are funny, but could have been even more sharp. But i do like the fact that Ted is just the same, and don´t care what anyone thinks. I would say that Ted is the reason why you want to see this sequel, you just simply love to see him piss people off. One of the best scenes is where Mark Wahlberg and Ted discuss Rocky 3 with Mr. T, together with Amanda Seyfried, because she never heard of Clubber Lang, the legendary character of Mr.T. If you did not enjoy the first film, you will guaranteed not enjoy this sequel either. If you loved the first film, don´t expect to be as happy over this sequel, it is a bit too serious, and not as funny as i was hoping it would be. Still, you will have a good time if you are in a good mood. If there is a third film coming, i hope it will be more vulgar and less serious, Ted is not supposed to be taken seriously.

Rating: DDD