Ted 2

Although I did enjoy some of the gross-out humor of the film Ted, overall I found it too stupid to be really enjoyable.

However, Writer/Producer/Director Seth MacFarlane’s Ted 2 is, in many respects, a bear of a different color.

Unfortunately, it does start out with enough gross-out language and humor to drive some of the audience out of the theater, but, then, it settles down to have a worthy story that, when it’s followed, is actually engaging.  (Ted wants to have a child to keep his marriage to his ditsy wife, joyfully played by Jessica Barth, from falling apart. But, he has to prove he’s a person in order to be able to adopt.)

But, there are constant segues and detours, some of which are cruel, that get in the way of the story’s flow.  It’s almost as if MacFarlane is afraid to show his softer and, to my way of thinking, more effective side.  It seems like he feels he has to constantly prove he’s a bad boy to have any credence with his followers.  Hopefully, he’ll grow out of that and do some really funny work.  If only…   Oh, well…

The film is at its best in bits played by Liam Neeson and football great Tom Brady, plus a night scene in the country where Amanda Seyfried (Ted’s lawyer) plays guitar and sings quite beautifully.

With its ups and downs, I give Ted 2 a 3+ out of 5.