The surprises continue with the acting with Mark Wahlberg proving himself particularly adept at this style of raunchy comedy and his rapid-fire white-trash name recital is one of the film’s most laugh out loud moments. Ted, the CGI created teddy bear voiced by MacFarlane himself also defies simple categorization by being both offensive and inviting at the same time.

Elsewhere taste is stretched to the absolute limit and this nothing off limits approach is refreshing in its disregard to political correctness. Those with knowledge of MacFarlane’s television work will have an idea of what’s coming but even that collective work is only the starting point for Ted.

Ted is clever, funny, stupid, offensive (especially if you’re Susan Boyle) and will make you laugh weather you like it or not.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU

It’s also a work of two parts and while the first half struggles a bit to find its footing, in the second half, things pick up nicely. As in all good caper yarns, things are not always as they seem and the work’s internal logic by film’s end is most satisfying. Soderbergh as is his way, loads the film with a heavy duty cast and it’s great to see Daniel Craig play against his usual screen persona as Joe Bang, a bleach blonde career criminal with a way with science.

Most will compare it to Soderbergh’s previous works but it’s hard to surpass the Clooney charm factor and so that suave sensibility is replaced with a more humorous approach and it doesn’t always fire on all cylinders. Some of the film’s characters are also not that clearly defined and this slows things down a bit in the first couple of reels.

It’s a welcome return for Soderbergh to the big screen and overall it’s a pleasant experience. Let’s hope his self exile doesn’t last and next time he tackles something with a little more meat on the bone.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/loganluckymovie/

But the conniving Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) decides its time to turn the family’s luck around, and with a little help from his friends, the Redneck Robbers, he plans to steal $14 million from the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Logan Lucky was directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Channing Tatum, Daniel Craig, Adam Driver, Hilary Swank, Seth MacFarlane, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, Katherine Waterston and Sebastian Stan. Logan Lucky releases in Australian cinemas on August 17, 2017.

The storyline this time is about Ted having to go to court to defend his right to be recognized as a person (in legal terms) and it’s the weakest element of the film but then you laugh so hard throughout, it seems a minor complaint. Most of the original cast have also returned except Mila Kunis and her absence becomes part of the storyline.

MacFarlane loves to get away with incendiary social commentary disguised as comedy and his pushes the envelope as far as he thinks he can. His efforts illustrate just how much this current PC attitude limits what is acceptable as comedy and it’s refreshing to see someone still tilting at windmills.

Concerns about the quality of the screenplay or even the chemistry between some of the leads will pale in regards to your enjoyment of Ted 2 as it is very funny and will succeed in making you laugh. Regardless of how immune you think you are at being shocked during viewings of modern comedies, Ted 2 will still get through.

Rob Hudson
www.ted2themovie.com.au

The biggest obstacle the film fails to overcome is in one of its lead castings as writer/director Seth MacFarlane is a very average actor and his role is not helped at all by the awkwardness of the writing. MacFarlane’s take on a modern day intellectual being able to deal with the brutal ways of the early American west ends up falling very flat. The rest of the actors are well cast but head bad guy Liam Neeson is given very little to do.

It’s a sign of our conservative times that even when attempting to be cutting edge and genre expanding, there are so many topics perceived to be out of bounds. It makes almost all comedies, even the ones that are trying to be shocking, ultimately quite mundane. MacFarlane tries his usual scattershot approach and along with his animation efforts like Family Guy and The Cleveland Show occasionally kicks the funny bone.

It’s doubtful that future generations will look back on this film as referential but for modern day viewers this is as out there as any money making cinematic effort of this generation. Hopefully the future will give filmmakers the ability to really push the boundaries of what constitutes shock comedy.

Rob Hudson
www.amillionways.com

The surprises continue with the acting with Mark Wahlberg proving himself particularly adept at this style of raunchy comedy and his rapid-fire white-trash name recital is one of the film’s most laugh out loud moments. Ted, the CGI created teddy bear voiced by MacFarlane himself also defies simple categorization by being both offensive and inviting at the same time.

Elsewhere taste is stretched to the absolute limit and this nothing off limits approach is refreshing in its disregard to political correctness. Those with knowledge of MacFarlane’s television work will have an idea of what’s coming but even that collective work is only the starting point for Ted.

Ted is clever, funny, stupid, offensive (especially if you’re Susan Boyle) and will make you laugh weather you like it or not.

Rob Hudson
www.tedisreal.com