Seth MacFarlane (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)
Cast: Mark Whalberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Joel McHale, Giovanni Ribisi
Writers: Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Viewed: Sunday 01 July 2012 @ Event Cinemas, Indooroopilly, Brisbane.
When a childhood wish magically turns his stuffed Teddy Bear into a walking, talking, best friend, little John Bennett couldn’t be happier, but fast-forward 27 years and all the hype and novelty surrounding Ted’s miraculous existence has worn off and John may have to finally grow up and chose what’s most important in his life.
Seth MacFarlane loves to cause controversy, but you have to admit, he does it hilariously. It’s true that Ted is basically Family Guy‘s Peter Griffin in computer generated, bear form. He sounds like Peter, speaks like Peter, and most of the movie’s gags would easily fit in to an episode of MacFarlane’s most famous creation. Whatever the similarities though, vulgar, outrageous, rude, obnoxious and racist, Ted is gut-bustingly funny and I found myself LOLing on many, many occasions.
How John manages to keep the successful, hot Lori for four years is never explained beyond a line pointing out Mark Whalberg’s DILF qualities anyway, but Ted appears to do everything he possible can, perhaps sometimes inadvertently, to come between the two. Other than this, the plot is pretty thin, but it’s only there to serve as a base for all the jokes, gross-outs and celebrity jibes to come flying at you thick and fast. From the first moments you hear Patrick Stewart narrating a Jewish kid being beaten up, you know you’re in for a good time.
What plot there is strays a little with an unnecessary side-story involving Giovanni Ribisi’s Ted-obsessed Father trying to kidnap the bear for his equally creepy son. Joel McHale as Lori’s boastful boss trying to woo her works a littler better. It certainly delivers a few more laughs.
There are so many similarities between Ted and Family Guy that sometimes it’s as if MacFarlane really wanted to make a big screen Family Guy movie, but has never been allowed to and so has settled on this. So, while the movie is freakin’ funny, it’s also got a kind of unoriginal air to it. Because of this I give Ted 3 ½ Rant and Rave Points.
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- If you like Family Guy, you’ll like Ted. If not, you may want to think about it… (nediunedited.com)
- ‘Ted’ shows off its rude and crude side (dailyherald.com)
