Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Ted 2’

1/11/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Marc Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, and Amanda Seyfried as John Bennett, the Voice of Ted, and Samantha Leslie Jackson in ‘Ted 2’. (Photo Courtesy of Universal Pictures.)

One particular aspect about life that we truly take for granted, is how much freedom we enjoy in our lives. Because there’s little in our way when we get up in the morning. We can take whatever path we want and do whatever we want. Sure, that includes negative things, but there are consequences for that. But beyond going down a bad path, we can take a trip to the mountains ten states away, we can make all kinds of life choices, and no one says a word. Because we’re just an everyday person living in the land of the free and there’s nothing that people can do to stop us from enjoying our best life. Which is wonderful and joyous and genuinely easy to take for granted.

Because not everyone gets to enjoy that wonder. For there are folks that wake up that don’t enjoy an ounce of freedom. They’re stuck in a part of the world where their lives are deeply controlled and terrifying and they only know fear and suffering because of it, and what’s amazing… is that there are people in the land of the free that also awaken without certain freedoms in front of them. Because prejudices run high in America and so do certain restrictions in certain states and when combined, there are freedoms that people simply cannot take part in, and that’s wrong. Because all should be able to live their lives as they please, and the importance of that, and its impact, was explored in the most unique manner possible, in Ted 2.

Which again, may seem to be a surprise thing to read. After all, Ted 2 was filed with some incredibly comedic moments. For this is the movie that gave us Liam Neeson buying a box of Trix under suspicious circumstances at Ted’s place of work. Not to mention, the New York Comic Con sequences are the stuff of legend. Complete with a Michael Dorn cameo, the Enterprise-D and that Superman joke about Jonah Hill remains as funny and as relevant as ever. Plus, having Giovanni Ribisi find his way back into the fold as the villain was just amazing and gives the film incredible cohesion. All of which should speak to a zany adventure with the Thunder Buddies over something powerful and philosophical and outright deep.

But much like the last film, the devil is in the details. Because this is a story that sees dear Ted, try, and do what so many others do in this life, and start a family. Through marriage, adoption and he is of course, denied in this tale. Because he’s not viewed as an individual. Which leads to shenanigans and frustrations, and some fine commentary on what it means to be a person in this life and what defines our humanity. Which is worth pondering upon simply because… that’s stuff we have to define daily in the current climate, since cruelty is often on display and there are so many people like Ted out there. For instance, there are LGBTQIA+ couples that are denied adoption options because of bias against their sexual preferences or gender identity. Which is of course, stupid and closed minded, but sadly… those people exist and impart their will upon others for the pettiest of reasons.

Not to mention, there are people from different races about the world that are seen as not human by perhaps the dumbest individuals to walk the planet, and there are people actively working to revoke their rights and make them less than when they are equal to. All of which is a plot that really is designed to give us pause and does so. Because this is indeed stuff that is part of our world for some effed-up reason, and it needs to be discussed and displayed and the resolution present here… is the right one for that matter. Simply because… there are individuals that worry way too much about how people live their lives outside of their own home, and that needs to stop, and people need to be allowed to just live their lives to the fullest.

Because no one is getting out of life, alive, and there’s no point in making the lives of others, miserable. Especially when their business is their own and doesn’t impact us in the slightest really, and well, all of those messages and musings, make this a stunningly powerful feature. One that covers some incredible observations about our world, lensed through the hilarity of a talking teddy bear that still loves his weed like there’s no tomorrow. And the combination of flawless comedy, and bigger jokes combined with bigger concepts, make this a brilliant story as well. One that should be celebrated often, because this kind of intelligent comedy is just rare, but welcome. Because sometimes, the best way to learn about the world is through laughter, and this movie accomplishes that for certain.

Watch ‘Ted 2’

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