Film review: Ted 2 (15)

Before making my way to Boston’s West End Cinema, I wasn’t really convinced there was any need for a Ted sequel.

Sure, the 2012 original, starring Mark Wahlberg (Transformers: Age of Extinction), Mila Kunis (Jupiter Ascending) and the voice talents of Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy) was a pretty good laugh.

But the novelty of having a walking, talking, living and breathing teddy bear as the main character has certainly worn off three years down the line, no matter how funny or obscenely rude he is.

Amusing “thunder buddies” or not, Ted and Wahlberg’s John Bennett kind of had their movie – and in truth, I was expecting to be underwhelmed.

MacFarlane once again directs this sequel – and, as well as Wahlberg, Jessica Barth (Get Smart) is back as Tami-Lynn, while Giovanni Ribisi (Avatar) also features as the villainous Donny.

However, Kunis’ Lori is the one major absentee, with Amanda Seyfried (Les Misérables) stepping in as John’s new love interest Samantha.

Still asking you to accept a reality where a bear is alive, Ted 2 kicks off with Ted and Tami-Lynn getting married.

However, wedded bliss doesn’t come easy – and they decide to have a child in a bid to solve their issues.

A chain of events then leads to Ted’s civil rights being questioned, as he bids to be seen as a human being – and not just “property”.

That forces Ted and John, who is clearly reeling after the (off screen) break-up of his own marriage to Lori, to seek legal advice – and the pair end up in the office of like-minded lawyer Samantha.

The trio spend more time smoking drugs and goofing around than they actually do working on the case, but there’s solid chemistry there.

Naturally a setback follows and they’re forced to travel from Boston to New York in a bid to gain support from super lawyer Patrick Meighan (a neat cameo from Morgan Freeman – The Dark Knight).

It’s far-fetched stuff, but what did you expect from a film with a teddy bear as the main character?

As with the first movie, Ted 2 is at its best when John and his bear are messing around.

There are some genuine laugh out loud moments, including a scene involving NFL star Tom Brady that really tickled me.

Seyfried’s Samantha is a great addition to the cast, too. She’s as funny and charismatic as Kunis was in the first film, making the latter’s absence less of a problem than I thought.

I can’t remember seeing her in this kind of role before, but she really nailed it as the third arm of “team Ted’”

As with the first film, there is some pretty crass humour on show. If you’re not down with gags that cross the line on a regular basis, it’s safe to say that there’s nothing here for you.

Serious Ted didn’t really work for me, either. Indeed, some of the court scenes felt like they belonged in another movie, which was odd.

But, on the whole, I enjoyed this comedy sequel far more than I thought I would.

Much like the original, it’s the kind of humour that makes me laugh on a regular basis. If you enjoyed the first one, then you’ll love this.

Voice Verdict: 7/10 (reviewed at Boston’s West End Cinema)
+ Laugh out loud moments
+ Seyfried is great
+ Ted & John’s chemistry
– Quite crass
– Court scenes

SHOWTIMES
Boston’s West End Cinema (Fri, July 17 to Thurs, July 23)

**ANT-MAN 3D (12A)
3pm (not Mon/Tues), 5.40pm (daily),8.20pm (daily)

**ANT-MAN 2D (12A)
10am (Sat/Sun/Wed/Thurs), 12.45pm (Sat/Sun/Wed/Thurs)

**THOMAS & FRIENDS (U)
10.20am (Sat/Sun/Wed/Thurs), noon (Sat/Sun/Thurs), 4.15pm (Fri/Mon/Tues)

**THE GALLOWS (15)
4pm (daily), 6.45pm (daily), 8.45pm (daily)

TED 2 (15)
6pm (daily), 8.40pm (daily)

MAGIC MIKE XXL (15)
8.45pm (daily)

TERMINATOR GENISYS 3D (12A)
Noon (Sat/Sun/Wed/Thurs), 8.20pm (not Sat/Wed)

TERMINATOR GENISYS 2D (12A)
3.15pm (Sat/Sun/Wed/Thurs), 6pm (daily)

MINIONS 3D (U)
10am (Sat/Sun/Wed/Thurs), 12.40pm (Sat/Sun/Wed/Thurs), 6pm (not Sat/Wed)

MINIONS 2D (U)
2pm (not Mon/Tues), 4.30pm (daily)

JURASSIC WORLD 3D (12A)
2.30pm (not Mon/Tues), 3.30pm (Mon/Tues)

JURASSIC WORLD 2D (12A)
10am (Sat/Sun/Thurs), 12.30pm (Sat/Sun/Wed/Thurs)

KIDS’ CLUB
Sat/Sun 10.30am – Home 3D (U)

SILVER SCREEN
Wed 11.30am – Terminator Genisys 2D (12A)

** free list suspended

SHOWTIMES
South Holland Centre (Fri, July 17 to Thurs, July 23)

SPY (15)
2pm (Tues), 7.30pm (Mon/Tues)

RSC LIVE: THE MERCHANT OF VENICE
7pm (Wed)