‘Ted 2’ — lowdown and very funny
Some people won’t want to laugh at “Ted 2,” and they might succeed if they fold their arms across their chest, close their eyes and gag themselves.
Writer-director Seth MacFarlane is like some weird combination of a stupid, dirty-minded teenager and a brilliant comic master.
How about a joke that combines Robin Williams and 9/11? “Ted 2” contains laughs about things that seem as if they just happened — for example, a scene with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady that references the deflated football scandal.
Watching “Ted 2” is like being in the mental space of a comedy piranha, ready to devour any red meat the second it appears.
Oh, yes, and on three occasions the movie suggests that Amanda Seyfried, who co-stars, bears a resemblance to Gollum from “Lord of the Rings.”
Liam Neeson plays a version of the cautious, paranoid character he’s been playing in action movies, and Jay Leno appears in a single shot that’s a big laugh.
The movie begins with the marriage of Ted and his girlfriend, Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth), and with its vivid language and drug allusions, the movie earns its R rating within about three minutes.
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.
Just look at the opening credits, which take place over a production number straight out of “The Great Ziegfeld” (1936).