Ted - Review

TED

2012

15

Directed by Seth MacFarlane

Starring Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg

As the result of a childhood wish, John Bennett's teddy bear, Ted, came to life and has been by John's side ever since - a friendship that's tested when Lori, John's girlfriend of four years, wants more from their relationship.

As the most original love triangle in recent years, Ted is essentially an R-rated kid’s movie between a man, a woman and a teddy bear. The premise itself is not too dissimilar to any Disney classic, with children wishing upon stars and a soothing voice over (courtesy of the wise Patrick Stewart), but give it 10 minutes and you will soon appreciate how non kid friendly Ted is. But despite the fact Ted is always smoking pot, with hookers and foul mouthed, he’s surprisingly lovable because he is a teddy bear after all.

Mila Kunis soon throws this into oblivion as the nagging girlfriend Lori, who wants John all to herself. The casting in this movie is inspired. Mark Wahlberg showcases his natural comic timing and there’s a cracking scene where he rattles off a load of white-trash girls names at break neck speed. To an untrained ear, MacFarlane and Wahlberg’s Boston accents are excellent, although given the fact that the latter was born in Boston, this is not surprising. Another cast member who has to get a mention here is Giovanni Ribisi – that guy literally has snake hips and is side-splittingly hilarious in his role as one of Ted’s fan boys.

The pop culture references are also genius. From Susan Boyle to MacFarlane’s own Family Guy there are some quality gags which are cemented truly in 2012 which makes the film even more cool and relevant. There are some brilliant cameos also, notably Ryan Reynold’s as a colleagues boyfriend, he is scary good as this part despite not speaking once. And all you Flash Gordon fans are in for a real treat!

The main criticism is that Ted seems unsure what it wants to be in the sense that ‘serious’ scenes have no place in a movie as supremely silly and crass as this. So when Wahlberg and Kunis engage in these heartfelt exchanges, the pace of the film jars and it feels a little off-kilter. But this is balanced out by the incredible CGI. It’s hard not to admire how real Ted appears, and how Wahlberg interacts with him like he is actually there.

All in all this is probably the summer’s funniest comedy, there are laughs in abundance and it’s totally original which is refreshing in a summer of sequels and poor romantic comedies. It's also exciting to see MacFarlane's first directorial debut, and given he also wrote the screenplay and acted in the movie: he is one talented man. Ted is bonkers and completely mental but most definitely worth a watch.

Rating: 7