So we have the creator of Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane who up until Ted, has only ever done cartoons, the majority of which is animated adult humour which competes against the likes of The Simpsons and South Park. He has also done some work on some of Cartoon Network's earlier shows before going into Family Guy. So after having spent so much time on animation, he then went on to work on what would be known as his directorial debut in film making and it would be a live action effort with some CGI as and when needed. And thus, we got Ted. The story of a teddy bear who comes to life. Not the most original of ideas, but let's see how this plays out:
Ted
The year is 1985 and we meet John Bennett (played by Mark Wahlberg as an adult, Colton Shires as a teen and Bretton Manley as a child) who lives in Boston and is a lonely child, wanting his Christmas gift, a teddy bear named Ted (voiced and motion captured by MacFarlane), to come to life and thanks to the power of a shooting star, that wish becomes reality and Ted becomes a fully functional sentient being and word spread of this miracle, making him a brief celebrity. We then move to 2012 and the pair are still living together in Boston, both being around their late 20s/mid 30s and John is in a relationship with fellow office worker Lori Collins (played by Mila Kunis, otherwise known as that person who you can say "Shut Up Meg" to and get away with it). Lori wants to marry John, but John feels he can't move on with his life with Ted being around, making him hesitant to force him out of his apartment. But is persuaded otherwise and the pair make some tough decisions while also allowing John to help move on with his life. Now I will say that going into this, I genuinely thought that it would just be a live action, feature length Family Guy like film and honestly, minus the dysfunctional family, it kind of was. The in jokes are there, the abusing stuff is there, pretty much anything you find in Family Guy is in this film. But that's OK as this film is very funny and enjoyable because of it. Our two main stars give us some great performances and its got some heart in it so that's good. For his directorial debut, Seth has done well and I hope he can do the same when the eventual Family Guy film comes around. 9/10
Ted 2
Since the last film, John has had a divorce with Lori and is struggling to get back into the dating scene, while Ted gets married to his co-worker at the grocery store he works at, Tami-Lynn (played by Jessica Barth in both films), but is struggling to keep himself and her together. This leads to Ted wanting a baby to which Tami-Lynn accepts. Things get a bit awry however as Tami-Lynn's arteries are in a state due to a drug overdose even after John wanting to be the sperm donor and she and Ted look into adoption. But Ted's status as property goes into question and he begins to lose everything. John suggests they take the situation to court and Ted is then assigned a novice lawyer called Samantha Leslie Jackson (played by Amanda Seyfried) to take on the case, which both Ted and John are cool with as she shares their love for marijuana. Then its just a case of can Ted be considered as a person, or just property. Meanwhile, something goes on at Hasbro that may put Ted's life at risk. Pretty much the same if not better than the first film. All the Family Guy-esque things are here and there's heart as well, but I will say, it is even funnier than the first. And in any sequel, the general idea is to build upon what made the last film great and they did that right here. Parts will feel very similar to the first, but its otherwise a funny film that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. 9/10
I'd say Seth has done well with these films. They are both very funny and Family Guy fans will love these films. They both have plenty of great performances and plenty of heart as well as plenty of LOL moments. I enjoyed these films and I'm sure you will too. They may not be the best that films can be these days, but as I say, they are funny and guaranteed to put a smile on your face. 9/10
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