Though a 2yo won't ever behave like an adult, there are fairly reliable methods for eliminating much of the mutual frustration the two of you will experience during the next couple of years. While some steps require a bit of advance planning or extra patience from you, overall, you'll spend way less time and energy than you would if dealing with behavior that isn't evolving in a positive direction.
Here are a few of my favorite tips. When he wants something, empathize, big time, and in the child's language. I love the advice of Dr. Harvey Karp on how to get on a tantruming toddler's wavelength in this and several related videos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6KnVPUdEgQ&feature=re... . Once your "little" realizes you do care about what he wants, he'll be more able to calm down and cooperate with what you need from him.
And there are lots of positive ways to approach this, rather than just saying no. They hear NO! so often, and they can be so frustrated. So look for ways of finding a mutual "yes," and save "no" for those occasions when children are trying something dangerous.
Keep it playful, and keep it respectful. This is important, thought it's really hard to practice if you're feeling frustrated or embarrassed by his behavior. But children learn primarily through imitation and play. You may need help with this if your parents didn't model a lighthearted and kind approach when you were little. The book Playful Parenting is a great resource. Your son's sense of humor is developing, crude though it may be.
This one generally helps a lot: give advance notice when you'll want him to be doing anything differently, especially when he's grooving on some activity/play. Children absolutely hate having to make sudden transitions. With my grandson, we let him know at least a couple of times that a change is coming ("We're going to go to the store / have lunch / take a nap pretty soon." … and then a second alert a minute before making the change.)
Do your best to arrange your day to keep demands low when he's tired, over-managed, hungry, or sick. He won't have any emotional reserves left with which to cooperate. Adults struggle at those times, too. There's also the possibility that he's having toxic meltdowns, from food colorings and preservatives or nerve-irritating chemicals from his environment (scented products like detergents, air fresheners and fabric softeners, strong cleaners, even auto exhaust.)
Get to know his most likely trouble-spots, and plan ahead. For many kids, it's when they want some tempting object or food they've seen. So keep those things out of sight when possible. Be prepared with a distraction – for example, another toy he likes when you have to take something away, or a healthy treat when he wants a junky snack. Laughter, introducing a new game, a few twirls and bounces, hugs or tickles, a goofy song, can help break into his determination to get something he wants (that short attention span is both a curse and a blessing).
Your toddler is facing some seriously frustrating years – he's been learning that the world is FULL of intriguing objects that he desperately wants to interact with, but isn't able to for any number of reasons. He'll gradually learn alternative ways to handle his frustration – give him words to express himself so the meltdowns become less necessary. And his capacity to be patient and delay gratification will increase dramatically in a couple of years.