Review - Ted (2012) & Ted 2 (2015)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Let's talk about Seth MacFarlane. An animator for years, Seth hit it really big when he created the animated comedy series Family Guy, as well as other animated comedy series like American Dad and the short lived Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show. But, in 2012, Seth headed into directing live-action projects with the comedy film Ted, starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Joel McHale, Patrick Warburton, Sam Jones, Jessica Barth, Giovanni Ribisi, and Seth MacFarlane himself as Ted. 

        The movie opens in 1985, when a boy named John Bennett gets a Christmas gift of a teddy bear he calls Teddy, or Ted for short. That night, John wishes on a Christmas star for Ted to be real. The next morning, Ted is alive, walking and talking for himself. Because of this, Ted is an overnight celebrity, appearing on talk shows like The Tonight Show w/ Johnny Carson. However, after all of the appearances, Ted eventually falls from grace, and the world no longer gives a shit about a talking teddy bear. 

        Twenty-seven years pass, and John, now in a committed relationship with a woman named Lori, is living in a Boston apartment with Ted. And, of course, Lori wants John to move forward with her, but she feels he can't do that with Ted still around. Eventually, things get so out of hand that Lori and John are forced to kick Ted out, and Ted gets a job as a grocery store cashier, as well as his own apartment. Ted eventually ends up in a relationship with a fellow cashier named Tami-Lynn, and John keeps hanging out with Ted. 

       On a night of an important get-together at the home of Rex, Lori's boss, Ted calls John about a party at his place, and Sam Jones, star of the 1980 sci-fi film Flash Gordon, is at the party. John quickly bails on Rex's party, and heads to Ted's apartment, where he meets Sam Jones, and he has fun at Ted's party. But, this ends up being the final straw with Lori, who kicks John out of their apartment. 

        Eventually, after seeing the two beat the living crap out of each other, Ted gets John to go with him to a Norah Jones concert, where John gets a chance to win Lori back, and it doesn't go well. The next day, however, Ted goes to Lori directly, and she agrees to meet John, and as Ted prepares to leave for good, he is abducted by a weirdo named Donny, who saw Ted on TV as a kid, and became creepily obsessed with Ted, and wanting to get Ted for his own son, Robert. Ted, after getting away from Robert, manages to call and warn John and Lori, who go to rescue Ted. This leads to a massive chase all the way to Fenway Park, where Ted gets torn apart by Donny, who is arrested for kidnapping a plush toy, although he's eventually let go because of how stupid the charge was. 

      John and Lori put Ted back together, and Lori wishes for things to go back to normal, which leads to Ted coming back to life. John and Lori get married, with Sam Jones officiating the ceremony. 

       Ted was one of the funniest, wittiest comedies of its year. The writing and directing by Seth MacFarlane was second to none, and the performances by MacFarlane as Ted, Mark Wahlberg as John, Mila Kunis as Lori, and the rest of the cast was absolutely fantastic. And, I genuinely laughed my ass off seeing Mark Wahlberg getting his ass kicked by a teddy bear. Honestly, I love this movie, and I'm giving Ted a rating of 5/5. 

          Three years later, and Seth MacFarlane returned to the world of Ted with Ted 2. Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, Patrick Warburton, Jessica Barth, Sam Jones, and Giovanni Ribisi all return from the first movie, and are joined by newcomers Amanda Seyfried, Morgan Freeman, John Carroll Lynch, and John Slattery. 

         So, in the time since the end of the original movie, John and Lori split up, with John going into a spiral of depression, and Ted gets married to Tami-Lynn. And, after things between the two get rough, Ted eventually suggests that he and Tami-Lynn have a baby. Unfortunately, neither are able to have a child of their own, as Ted is a teddy bear, and Tami-Lynn has pretty much made herself unable to have a child. However, when they attempt to adopt a baby, Ted's legal status is called into question, as according to Massachusetts State legislature, Ted is viewed in the eyes of the law as property, not as a person. Because of this, Ted loses his job, several memberships, and his marriage to Tami-Lynn is annulled. 

       John suggests Ted sue the State of Massachusetts for his legal rights to be a person, and the two meet a young lawyer named Samantha Jackson, and the three bond over smoking weed. In New York, Donny finds himself working for Hasbro, the company that made Ted and other teddy bears like him, as a janitor. Donny informs Tom Jessup, one of the higher ups of Hasbro, about the court case, and Jessup hires lawyer Shep Wild to make sure Ted's legal status remains unchanged. The trial goes well, with the Tami-Lynn, John, and Ted all going on the stand. However, one witness derails the trial, and Ted's legal status remains. Ted is legally seen as property, and so Jessup and Donny can do what they want. However, Jessup informs Donny that he can't be involved directly. 

        Samantha suggests that they reach out to Patrick Meighan, who might take the case due to its high profile nature. Meighan agrees to meet them, and it's off to New York. Unfortunately, Meighan points out that Ted hasn't really made a genuine contribution to society, and thus he can't take the case. Ted, after lashing out at John and Samantha, who have been growing closer throughout the movie, runs off to the Javits Center, where New York Comic-Con is taking place. John and Samantha follow him, and they discover that Donny is after Ted again. Donny is eventually thwarted, and John takes a massive hit to protect Ted, getting nailed by a model of the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC 1701-D), being sent into a stack of televisions, and Donny is arrested when Ted is able to identify him by playing the song "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany, which Donny can't resist dancing to. 

       John is taken to the hospital, and the doctors fix him up. Meighan, having seen John's selfless act to save Ted, agrees to take Ted's case. Back in Massachusetts, Meighan manages to get the initial ruling overturned, thus legally making Ted a person. Ted and Tami-Lynn remarry, and adopt a baby boy they decide to name Apollo Creed. John and Samantha enter a relationship, and everyone is happy. 

         Ted 2 is definitely a hilarious follow-up to the original Ted. Seeing Mark Wahlberg back as John, along with having Seth MacFarlane back as Ted, was fantastic. I also enjoyed the new romantic interest Samantha, with Amanda Seyfried giving a fantastic performance in the movie. 

       I, easily, loved seeing Ted going to New York Comic-Con, with all of the cosplays and pop culture paraphernalia all over the place. And one joke that made me laugh was when a Superman movie was announced with Jonah Hill set to star. Because, as we all know, the only DC character Jonah Hill will ever play is Oswald Cobblepot/the Penguin. But, again, seeing a movie like this going to Comic-Con was pretty fun. 

        Unfortunately, some of the gags and jokes didn't really feel fresh, and some felt like they were directly ripped from Family Guy. But, other than that, I enjoyed Ted 2, and I'm giving it a rating of 4.75/5. 

         Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time when I take a look at Seth MacFarlane's new streaming series Ted.