Adam Collins posted on June 29, 2012 00:00
Let’s get something straight from the get-go. If you are easily offended or one of these people that like to tell people what they can and cannot say, you are not the target audience. You are not going to like or appreciate Ted, the theatrical and live action writing and direction debut of Family Guy and American Dad creator Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane leaves no one out. He attacks race, religion, sexual orientation, diseases and disorders. Nothing is sacred. No one is safe.
Ted opens back in the eighties, when Young John (Bretton Manley) is a child in Boston. The voiceover narration by Patrick Stewart tells us that John has no friends, and finds solace in his Christmas present Teddy Bear. John makes a wish that he and Ted could be best friends forever. The next morning, he awakes to discover that Teddy is alive. Teddy becomes a national celebrity, but remains friends with John.
It then cuts to now, where John (Mark Wahlberg) is living with his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis) and Ted (MacFarlane). John works at a car rental place, where he is next in line for a promotion. Lori works at a PR firm, where she is harassed by her boss, Rex (Joel McHale). The relationship between Lori and John becomes more strained as John does not seem to be getting more mature. He smokes a lot of pot with Ted, bails on her for Ted and is still afraid of thunder. This leaves John with a quandary: Lori or Ted. So, Ted moves out into his own apartment, gets a job at a grocery store, and starts dating Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth). Things come to a head when John leaves Lori for Ted while at Rex’s house.
As I mentioned at the start, this film is highly offensive. I am not usually a fan of this type of film, but for some reason, I thoroughly enjoyed Ted. I used to enjoy Family Guy back in the day, but I haven’t watched it in years because I haven’t found it funny. This is by no means going to make me go back and watch it, but I might not flip the channel next time I see it on.
Along the journey of this highly offensive film, there are a number of cameos. Some are voices from the show: Patrick Warburton, Jon Viener, Ralph Garman Alex Borseinand as John’s parents. The only significant voice actor missing is Seth Green. Some are just your typical small roles: Giovanni Ribisi, Ryan Reynolds and Laura Vandervoort. And then, there are the ones where they are playing themselves: Norah Jones, Tom Skerritt and Sam “Flash Gordon” Jones.
For a first feature length film, I am impressed. While nothing is groundbreaking, Ted has a solid script and solid direction from MacFarlane. The acting is good enough. Kunis and Wahlberg are both funny in their roles. McHale oozes the sleaze that he is portraying. Ribisi steals his scenes late in the film. The CGI on Ted is impressive, as is MacFarlane’s voice work. I really laughed hard at Ted, too hard at times that I missed the next joke. It is rude. It is crude. It is offensive. I loved every minute of it.
RATING: 8/10
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