Ted 2

Ted 2

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Seth MacFarlane
Produced by
Written by
Starring
Narrated by Patrick Stewart
Music by Walter Murphy
Cinematography Michael Barrett
Edited by Jeff Freeman
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • June 24, 2015 (2015-06-24) (Ziegfeld Theater)
  • June 26, 2015 (2015-06-26) (United States)
Running time
 115 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $68 million[2][3][4]
Box office $216.7 million[5]

Ted 2 is a 2015 American comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane and is a sequel to the 2012 film Ted. The film's screenplay was written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and MacFarlane, both reprising their roles from the original film, as John Bennett and his sentient teddy bear friend Ted respectively. The film also sees the return of Giovanni Ribisi and Jessica Barth, reprising as Donny, Ted's stalker, and Tami-Lynn, Ted's wife. The story involves Ted fighting for his civil rights when authorities rule that he is property rather than a person, putting him again at risk from his stalker Donny. Amanda Seyfried also stars as Sam, Ted's civil rights attorney and John's new love interest.

Ted 2 was released on June 26, 2015, by Universal Pictures. The film grossed over $216 million during its theatrical run.

Plot

John Bennett has been divorced from Lori Collins for six months due to her not accepting Ted again despite her wish in bringing Ted back to life. Meanwhile, Ted marries his girlfriend, Tami-Lynn. One year later, their marriage is beginning to break down so they decide to have a child. As Ted cannot have children, John agrees to help Ted find a sperm donor. They ask Sam J. Jones, but he refuses due to a low sperm count. Then they try unsuccessfully to break into Tom Brady's house and steal his sperm. Ultimately, John offers to donate his sperm (something that Ted wanted to ask him but hesitated due to John's divorce with Lori).

Despite Ted and John's efforts, Tami-Lynn's history of drug use has rendered her infertile and the couple decide to adopt. As background checks are carried out, Ted's legal status as a person is brought into question. The state authorities of Massachusetts declare Ted property rather than a person, resulting in the loss of his job at a grocery store. Furthermore, his marriage to Tami-Lynn is annulled by the government. John suggests that they take the state to court, and their case is assigned to a novice lawyer pro bono, Samantha Leslie Jackson. Despite Samantha's lack of understanding modern culture, the three bond over their love of marijuana as they prepare to present the case.

Meanwhile, Donny, Ted's unstable life-long stalker and arch rival is now employed as a janitor at the headquarters of toy company Hasbro, in New York City. He convinces the company CEO to hire an expert attorney to ensure that Ted maintains his status as property, therefore leaving him open to seizure by the firm to create more living teddy bears.

Despite Samantha's best efforts, the court rules against Ted. Disheartened but determined, the trio decide to contact Patrick Meighan, a highly respected civil rights attorney, hoping he will take the case and overturn the court's decision. Driving to Manhattan to meet him, Ted crashes into a hidden marijuana patch, where Samantha and John realize their attraction for each other. The next day, the trio meet Meighan, who is sympathetic to Ted's plight but ultimately refuses the case, as he believes he has not significantly contributed to humanity due to his juvenile slacker lifestyle.

With all hope seeming lost, Ted, angry at the injustice and jealous of Samantha and John's new relationship, wanders off. Donny follows him as he wanders into the New York Comic Con. Once inside, Donny, dressed up as Raphael, attempts to kidnap Ted, who flees and contacts John for help. John and Samantha arrive at Comic-Con and search for Ted, arriving as Donny is about to cut him open. As they make their escape, Donny cuts the cables holding up a model of the USS Enterprise and it swings towards Ted. John pushes Ted out of the way, takes the hit, and is knocked unconscious after being pinned under a TV wall. Donny is arrested after Ted identifies him among other Ninja Turtle cosplayers.

At the hospital, Samantha, Ted and Tami-Lynn rejoice when John recovers. Meighan decides to take the case, telling them he has been inspired by John's selflessness and Ted's emotions over his nearly fallen friend. Meighan gets the ruling overturned by demonstrating that Ted is self-aware, that he feels complex emotions, and is capable of empathy. Outside the court, Ted re-proposes to Tami-Lynn. After they are re-married, Ted and Tami-Lynn, adopting the surname of "Clubberlang", adopt a baby boy, whom they name Apollo Creed, while John and Samantha happily pursue their own relationship.

Cast

Production

During the 2012 American Dad! Comic-Con panel, MacFarlane stated that he would be open to a sequel to Ted.[15] In September 2012, chief executive Steve Burke said that the studio would be looking to make a sequel to Ted "as soon as possible".[16] In January 2013, on Anderson Live, Wahlberg confirmed that a sequel was in the works and that it would be the first sequel in his career, while also revealing that he and Ted (as voiced by MacFarlane) would appear at the 85th Academy Awards.[17] On October 2, 2013, it was announced Ted 2 would be released on June 26, 2015.[18]

Initially the storyline for the film was quite different and involved John and Ted's attempt to smuggle pot across the country,[19] but, however, concerned that the concept was too similar to then recently released We're the Millers, the concept was scrapped and the storyline was overhauled to one inspired by John Jakes' North and South series as well as the life of Dred Scott.[19] During the period when the film was about drug smuggling, Mila Kunis's character was still in the sequel; however, when the storyline was changed, it required a lawyer to be the female lead and there wasn't room for Kunis's character.[19]

On February 14, 2014, Amanda Seyfried was cast as the female lead.[20] On June 17, 2014, Jessica Barth was confirmed to reprise her role as Tami-Lynn.[21] In August and September 2014, it was announced that Patrick Warburton would return as John's co-worker Guy,[8] and that Morgan Freeman,[22] Nana Visitor,[14] Michael Dorn,[9] Dennis Haysbert,[12] Liam Neeson[13] and John Slattery had joined the cast.[7]

Principal photography began on July 28, 2014, and ended on November 13, 2014.[23][24][25]

Soundtrack

Ted 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Walter Murphy and Various Artists
Released June 23, 2015 (2015-06-23)
Genre Film score, jazz
Length 27:21
Label Universal Republic
Walter Murphy and Various Artists chronology
Ted: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2012) Ted 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2015)

The film's soundtrack was released by Universal Republic on June 26, 2015.[26] It features the score by Walter Murphy and songs co-written by Seth MacFarlane and Murphy, including "Mean Ol’ Moon", which is performed by Amanda Seyfried and Norah Jones separately. The soundtrack also includes "Mess Around" by Ray Charles, "One Foot in Front of the Other" by Bone Symphony and "New York" by Alfred Newman.

Track listing

All tracks by Walter Murphy except where indicated.

Track listing
No. TitleWriter(s)Performer(s) Length
1. "The Wedding"     1:52
2. "Steppin' Out with My Baby"  Irving BerlinJohn Wilson, Curtis Stigers and Maida Vale Singers 6:19
3. "Let's Make a Baby"     0:37
4. "Tom Brady's House"     1:37
5. "Ted's Court Case"     0:55
6. "One Foot in Front of the Other"  Bone SymphonyBone Symphony 3:12
7. "Leaving for New York"     1:12
8. "Mess Around"  Ray CharlesRay Charles 2:41
9. "Out of Control"     0:26
10. "Mean Ol’ Moon"  Seth MacFarlane &
Walter Murphy		Amanda Seyfried 2:03
11. "New York"  Alfred NewmanAlfred Newman 2:27
12. "The Comic-Con Fight"     1:11
13. "Wake Up, Johnny / Code Blue / John Is Back"     3:23
14. "Meighan's Speech / Finale"     3:55
15. "Mean Ol’ Moon (Swing Version)"     1:16
16. "Mean Ol’ Moon"  Seth MacFarlane &
Walter Murphy		Norah Jones 3:05
Total length:
 27:21

Release

On January 27, 2015, the film's teaser poster was released.[27] This was followed two days later by its trailer.[28] The film premiered on June 24, 2015, in New York City, with its general release two days later.[29]

Home media

Ted 2 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 15, 2015 in the United States by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.[30] Both formats contained a theatrical version (115 minutes) and an "unrated" extended version (125 minutes), containing 10 minutes of extra footage. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom and Ireland on November 23, 2015, both formats containing the two versions.

Reception

Box office

Ted 2 grossed $81.5 million in North America and $135.2 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $216.7 million, against a budget of $68 million.[5]

In the United States and Canada, Ted 2 opened on the same day as the family adventure film Max, across 3,441 theaters. It made $2.6 million from its Thursday night showings from 2,647 theaters,[31] and $13.2 million on its opening day.[32] In its opening weekend, Ted 2 earned $33.5 million, finishing third at the box office behind Jurassic World ($54.5 million) and Inside Out ($52.3 million).[33] The opening total was a disappointment, considering the film's initial projected opening of $45–50 million, and its predecessor's $54.4 million opening three years prior.[33] It was director MacFarlane's second consecutive underperforming opening, following 2014's A Million Ways to Die in the West, which opened to $16.8 million.[33]

Outside North America, the film earned an estimated $20 million in its opening weekend from 26 countries. It opened in number two in Germany ($3.7 million), Russia and the CIS ($3.5 million) and Australia ($3.3 million).[34]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 46%, based on 182 reviews, with an average rating of 5.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ted 2 reunites Mark Wahlberg and Seth MacFarlane for another round of sophomoric, scatological humor — and just as before, your enjoyment will depend on your tolerance for all of the above."[35] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 48 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[36] In CinemaScore polls, cinema audiences gave Ted 2 an average score of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, in contrast to the "A−" earned by its predecessor.[37]

James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film two out of four stars, saying "It would be disingenuous for me to claim that Ted 2 isn't funny. Although I was often bored by the plodding direction of the story, I laughed from time-to-time."[38] Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a C+, saying "You realize what it must be like to be trapped in detention with a bunch of 15-year-old boys who think there's nothing more hilarious than repeating the same jokes about porn, pot, and pulling your pud over and over again. It's funny, until it's not."[39] Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic gave the film two out of five stars, saying "The film, like most of MacFarlane's work, is a mix of occasional laugh-out-loud moments - there are some here - and cringe-worthy misfires that play a lot more tone-deaf than he seems to intend."[40] Brian Truitt of USA Today gave the film two out of four stars, saying "MacFarlane and co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild have a gift for referential riffs, but the plot is the thinnest of narratives just to connect all the comedy bits."[41] Stephen Whitty of the Newark Star-Ledger gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "Sure, MacFarlane can write simple jokes as long as the 'f' key on his laptop holds out. Some of them are even funny. But a lot of them don't pay off, and most trod the same well-worn territory -- potheads, practical jokes, politically-incorrect cliches."[42] Lindsey Bahr of the Associated Press gave the film a negative review, saying "In an admirable effort to go a different route, MacFarlane has instead done something hopelessly bizarre: He's given his film too much sincerity and story, and it practically crushes whatever fun does exist."[43]

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film three out of four stars, saying "MacFarlane is cynical, but he's not a cynic, and there are moments in Ted 2 where you can sense a longing for the gentler and more upbeat entertainment of an earlier generation."[44] Soren Anderson of The Seattle Times gave the film two out of four stars, saying "In the midst of comedy, seriousness. The combination feels forced. A more disciplined and smarter director might have been able to successfully blend the two elements, but crude dude MacFarlane hasn't the skill to bring it off."[45] Dan Callahan of The Wrap gave the film a negative review, saying "Bad taste needs to be more honest and more all-inclusive if it's to make a lasting impression, and MacFarlane's bad taste here is both too wishy-washy and too knee-jerk cruel to really make any impact."[46] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times gave the film a negative review, saying "Mr. MacFarlane can be funny, but Ted 2 is insultingly lazy hack work that is worth discussing primarily because of how he tries and fails to turn race, and specifically black men, into comedy fodder."[47] Jacob Hall of New York Daily News gave the film one out of five stars, saying "Once again, you will believe that a talking CGI stuffed animal can be a racist, hateful monster with no redeeming qualities ... but his greatest sin is that he's not funny."[48] Peter Howell of the Toronto Star gave the film two out of four stars, saying "If you didn't see and laugh at the first Ted, and maybe also at MacFarlane's button-pushing TV series Family Guy, then another movie deserves your entertainment dollars."[49] A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a C+, saying "Ted 2 strikes a sometimes-awkward balance between sincerity and cheap provocation. It also forgets that the real draw of the first film wasn’t Ted himself, but Wahlberg, whose sweet-lug routine scored a lot of belly laughs."[50]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2015 AACTA Awards Outstanding Visual Effects Glenn Melenhorst
Ineke Majoor 		Nominated [51]
2016 People's Choice Awards Favorite Comedic Movie Nominated [52]
2016 MTV Movie Awards Best Virtual Performance Seth MacFarlane Nominated [53]
2016 Saturn Awards Best Fantasy Film Pending [54]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "TED 2 (15)". British Board of Film Classification. June 24, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  2. ↑ "'Ted 2' lags behind 'Jurassic World,' 'Inside Out'". US News. 2015-06-28. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  3. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (2015-06-26). "Box Office: 'Jurassic World' Hits $500M; 'Ted 2' Suffers Bear Market With $32.9M". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  4. ↑ CBS/AP June 29, 2015, 8:27 AM (2015-06-29). ""Ted 2" lags behind "Jurassic World," "Inside Out" at box office". CBS News. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  5. 1 2 "Ted 2 (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  6. ↑ JURASSIC WORLD, SEVENTH SON, TED 2, FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Super Bowl Spots
  7. 1 2 "John Slattery joins 'Ted 2'". EW.com. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Fleming Jr, Mike (August 20, 2014). "Patrick Warburton Back For ‘Ted’ Sequel". deadline.com. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  9. 1 2 MacFarlane, Seth (September 16, 2014). "Hilarious work in Ted 2 today by @paddywarbucks and @akaWorf!". Twitter. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Stigers, Curtis (September 16, 2014). "On the set of Ted 2. My chair is the one that says Don't Sit Here You're Not A Movie Star.". Twitter. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  11. ↑ Boren, Cindy (November 6, 2014). "Tom Brady lands 'Ted 2,' 'Entourage' roles, brings Gronk along". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Dennis Haysbert Joins Both Dead Rising and Ted 2". Retrieved September 23, 2014.
  13. 1 2 MacFarlane, Seth (September 24, 2014). "Yesterday Liam Neeson, today Morgan Freeman. Not a bad week for #Ted2.". Twitter. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  14. 1 2 Visitor, Nana (November 10, 2014). "Had such a great time on Ted 2 today. What a guy, what a bear.". Twitter. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  15. ↑ Patten, Dominic (July 14, 2012). "Comic-Con - Seth MacFarlane Says "I'd Be Open To Making Ted 2"". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  16. ↑ "BBC News - Bourne Legacy sequel confirmed". Bbc.co.uk. September 14, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  17. ↑ Franich, Darren (January 17, 2013). "Mark Wahlberg and Ted to appear at Oscars - VIDEO". Insidemovies.ew.com. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  18. ↑ "‘Ted 2′ Gets June 2015 Release Date". deadline.com. October 2, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  19. 1 2 3 Radish, Christina. "Seth MacFarlane Talks TED 2 and 3, the Cast, and Political Correctness". Collider. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Amanda Seyfried Set By Seth MacFarlane For ‘Ted’ Sequel". deadline.com. February 24, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Jessica Barth Set to Return as Foul-Mouthed Girlfriend Tami-Lynn in 'Ted 2' (Exclusive)". TheWrap. June 17, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Morgan Freeman Lands Juicy Role in ‘Ted 2′ (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. September 10, 2014. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  23. ↑ MacFarlane, Seth (July 28, 2014). "1st day of filming on Ted 2: Back in the Habit". Twitter. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Seth MacFarlane tweets the start of 'Ted 2'". The Boston Globe. June 28, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  25. ↑ MacFarlane, Seth (November 13, 2014). "[Untitled image]". Twitter. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Ted 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. Apple. June 26, 2015.
  27. ↑ Doty, Meriah (January 27, 2015). "'Ted 2' Poster Is Harbinger of Crude Jokes to Come". Yahoo. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  28. ↑ Denham, Jess (January 29, 2015). "Ted 2 trailer: Seth MacFarlane returns for more mischief in first look at new movie". The Independent. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  29. ↑ Emery, Debbie (June 24, 2015). "Seth MacFarlane, Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried Get Cuddly at ‘Ted 2’ NYC Premiere (Photos)". The Wrap. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Ted 2 Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. 2015-11-21. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
  31. ↑ Pamela McClintock (June 26, 2015). "Box Office: 'Ted 2' Opens to Strong $2.6M Thursday Night". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  32. ↑ Keith Simanton (June 25, 2015). "'Jurassic' and 'Inside' Adjust 'Teds Weekend". Box Office Mojo. (Amazon.com). Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  33. 1 2 3 Keith Simanton (June 28, 2015). "'Jurassic' Holds Off Challengers". Box Office Mojo. (Amazon.com). Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  34. ↑ Nancy Tartaglione (June 29, 2015). "‘Terminator: Genisys’ Lords Over ‘Salvation'; Dinos Mighty With $84.3M More; ‘Minions’ Well Outpacing ‘DM2′ – Intl Box Office Final". Deadline.com. (Penske Media Corporation). Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Ted 2". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Ted 2". Metacritic. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  37. ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro (June 27, 2015). "Pixar Girl In Staring Contest With Dinos For No. 1, ‘Ted 2′ Falls Off The Wagon, ‘Max’ Is A Good Dog". Deadline.com. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  38. ↑ James Berardinelli. "Ted 2 | Reelviews Movie Reviews". Reelviews.net. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  39. ↑ Nashawaty, Chris. "'Ted 2': EW review". EW.com. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  40. ↑ "Review: 'Ted 2' gives us more (and less) of the same". Azcentral.com. April 22, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  41. ↑ "Review: Grin and bear 'Ted 2' hijinks". Usatoday.com. June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  42. ↑ Stephen Whitty. "'Ted 2' review: Mark Wahlberg grins, and bears it". NJ.com. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  43. ↑ The Associated Press (May 27, 2015). "Movie review: Sincerity, story crush 'Ted 2'". masslive.com. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  44. ↑ Mick LaSalle (March 11, 2015). "‘Ted 2’ — lowdown and very funny". SFGate. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  45. ↑ Andersen, Soren. "‘Ted 2’: The crude little dude is back". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  46. ↑ "'Ted 2' Review: Seth MacFarlane's Bad-Taste Humor Plays It Safe (and Sexist)". Thewrap.com. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  47. ↑ "Review: In ‘Ted 2,’ the Foulmouthed Bear Tries to Prove He’s Human". The New York Times. June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  48. ↑ "'Ted 2' review: Seth McFarlane scrapes bottom of barrel". NY Daily News. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  49. ↑ "Ted 2 returns with unbearably crude humour and cheap laughs: review". Thestar.com. March 16, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  50. ↑ A.A. Dowd. "Review: Ted 2 gets filthier but less charming". Avclub.com. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  51. ↑ "5th AACTA Awards - Feature Film Nominees". AACTA Awards. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  52. ↑ "2016 Nominees & Winners". People's Choice Awards. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  53. ↑ Author Jamie Lovett @JamieLovett (2016-03-08). "Deadpool, Avengers, And Star Wars Nominated For MTV Movie Awards". Comicbook.com.
  54. ↑ "The 42nd Annual Saturn Awards nominations are announced for 2016!". Saturn Awards. February 24, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.

External links

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