Seth McFarlane is going to hell. But me and millions of others will be right there with him. In "Ted 2" R, 1:55 , the writer-director-star uses almost every "bad word" in the English language, glorifies illicit drug use, makes about the crudest jokes imaginable, offends groups of different races, ethnic persuasions and sexual orientations and indirectly makes fun of several tragic news stories from the past decade and a half. And most of it is absolutely hilarious. You might say that he had me and the rest of the non-stuffed animals in the theaterÂ… in stitches."Ted <more> 2" picks up a few years after the story in McFarlane's 2012 surprise hit "Ted" left off. Man-child John Bennett Mark Wahlberg is six months divorced from Lori Collins, his girlfriend in the first movie, as John's living teddy bear and best friend Ted played again by Seth McFarlane using his voice and motion capture technology is about to marry Tami-Lynn McCafferty Jessica Barth , his girlfriend from the last movie. It's not long before Ted and Tami-Lynn are having problems. The financial strain of living off of their incomes as grocery store cashiers, while wanting more, is leading to some nasty arguments. Ted decides that having a baby will bring them closer together and Tami-Lynn is all in.But there's a challenge. Ted, lacking the requisite anatomy to turn such a dream into a reality, needs a sperm donor. When three separate attempts at getting a donor go hilariously and disturbingly wrong, Ted and Tami-Lynn decide to adopt. Their application is disapproved because it calls attention to the fact that Ted is not technically a person. He had been living a relatively normal life for a crude, rude, foul-mouthed, pot-smoking, stuffed bear , but now he's in danger of losing everything he is, does and cares about. It seems the only answer is to sue the government for his civil rights. Inexperienced, pop-culturally illiterate lawyer Samantha L. Jackson Amanda Seyfried takes the case.John is right at Ted's side through all the little guy's challenges in this movie "thunder buddies for life"! and they're both as incorrigible as in the previous movie, mocking each other's misfortunes, playing pranks on each other, occasionally fighting, and often smoking weed, drinking and making comments and behaving in ways that would be considered highly inappropriate in polite society. Fortunately for us, they don't care much about being polite, and fortunately for them, Samantha bonds with them both and gives her all to representing them in court. The story draws parallels to the historic struggle for black civil rights and the current struggle for gay rights, but mainly Ted just wants to be declared a person so he can live his life. It's a tall order from such a short bear. His case is completely unprecedented, plus, plotting and waiting for Ted to lose his case and be regarded as no more than property is his old enemy Donny Giovanni Ribisi , who is making some plans of his own with one pretty powerful person.Throughout the movie, we're treated to all manner of crass and politically incorrect humor, along with great supporting turns by Patrick Warburton as a gay bully, Morgan Freeman as a famous civil rights lawyer, and "Flash Gordon" actor Sam Jones as himself, plus hilarious cameos by, among others, Tom Brady and Liam Neeson. And since this movie comes from the mind of the man who created TV's "Family Guy", there are pop culture and historical references galore, including songs, TV shows and movies from several different decades, helped to no small degree by a key scene at a New York City Comic-Con, with most of the participants dressing as their favorite comic book or sci-fi characters. Oh, and when the movie's "over", be sure to stay to the very end of the credits. Trust me."Ted 2" is one of those rare sequels that is better than the original. The movie has enough plot and enough jokes for two movies. If you're open-minded enough to check your attitudes toward impropriety at the door, you'll likely agree that much more of the humor hits than misses. You'll probably end up liking these characters and laughing at their antics in spite of yourself and in spite of any fear that both you and the film's creator will be subject to eternal damnation for being party to such humor . I hope that if you see this movie, you'll agree with my assessment, but if not, as Ted might say, "F--- you! I write these reviews for free! I don't need this s---! I'm outta here!" But you'll have to forgive Ted. The bear has no filter. I will simply and politely end this review by giving "Ted 2" an "A-". Take it or leave it, people! Sorry. <less> |