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Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week.

Ted 2
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Seth Macfarlane, Amanda Seyfried, and Morgan Freeman
Synopsis: Back in 2012, Seth Macfarlane made his first live-action film. On paper, an adult comedy about a slacker (Mark Wahlberg) and his best friend, a toy bear that’s come to life, doesn’t seem like a winner. But somehow it all worked. It did well at the Box Office and, inevitably, talk of a sequel began. Last Friday, that sequel arrived. It didn’t do as well as expected on its opening weekend, which is endemic of the fact this is a movie that didn’t need to be made. “Ted” was funny and worked for what it was, partly because it was different. For movies to work, there needs to be some kind of character arc and growth. That’s not really the case with “Ted 2,” which finds John (Wahlberg) and Ted (Macfarlane) in much the same condition as the last film. But this time with a political twist. “Ted 2” is an over-the-top comedy, much like the original. A lot of the peripheral characters from that first film – including Sam Jones and Donny (Giovanni Ribisi) – are back in the film, too. Ted and John still smoke a lot of weed, make a lot of politically incorrect observations, and lack direction in their lives. There is still something amusing about seeing a children’s toy act like a foul-mouthed slacker. But we’ve already seen that. With this sequel, you’d like to see something more. But that isn’t the case here. It’s mostly recycled jokes and sequences with a few amusing pop culture references thrown in. It also takes a somewhat political bent, which doesn’t help its cause. “Ted 2” frequently seeks to compare the plight of this fictional stuffed bear to the wrongs suffered by African Americans over centuries in America. This feels more than a little inappropriate, especially in the latter parts of the film when Morgan Freeman is asked to present the argument. There are some funny moments and sequences, but overall “Ted 2” feels too long and is too boring or uncomfortable in parts to really work. Macfarlane has a unique comedy approach, and that’s worked in his first two feature films – “Ted” and “A Million Ways to Die in the West.” But it doesn’t work here.
Rating: R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, and some drug use. Enter with caution.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Wednesday, July 1 - "Magic Mike XXL," "Terminator Genisys"
Friday, July 10 - "Minions," "Gallows," "Self/Less"
Friday, July 17 - "Train Wreck," "Ant Man," "Mr. Holmes"
Friday, July 24 - "Pixels," "Paper Towns," "Vatican Tapes"
Wednesday, July 29 - "Vacation"
Friday, July 31 - "Southpaw," "Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation"

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