The best critic slams of 'Ted 2'
Ted is back, but he's not better than ever.
The foul-mouthed talking teddy bear voiced by Seth MacFarlane returns in Ted 2, but it's not a welcome comeback for most film critics. The comedy sequel currently has a low 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. We rounded up the best critic slams of the film:
Paste BN's own Brian Truitt:
"(Seth) 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." (Read the full review here.)
The New York Times:
"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."
The Boston Globe:
"When Ted sits on his couch watching a clip from Roots and compares his situation to that of Kunta Kinte getting whipped, you may want to sink into your seat."
New York Daily News:
"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."
New York Magazine:
"The trouble is, lazy, opportunistic writing can be distracting in its own way, and there's way too much of it in Ted 2 to fully ignore."
Seattle Times:
"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."
Newark Star-Ledger:
"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."
Entertainment Weekly:
"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."