Ted (2012)

Plot: John (Mark Wahlberg) wished for his teddy bear Ted (played by Seth MacFarlane) to come to life when he was a kid. It's now twenty-seven years later. John and Ted enjoy an immature lifestyle, watching movies and smoking pot. Despite this, John has been in a relationship with Lori (Mila Kunis) for four years. As their anniversary approaches, Lori wants John to grow up and thinks the only way that can happen is if Ted moves out of their apartment. What will happen?

Review: I thought Ted was absolutely hilarious.

One aspect of the film that really surprised me was the character development and how the characters worked in the film. Ted is a stuffed bear brought to life by the power of a child wishing. But you don't see Ted as a bear. You see him as a person, John's friend. So that's why John is conflicted. Because Ted isn't his teddy bear- he's his friend. And I also like the fact that Lori isn't being a bitch about this. She's doing this because she thinks what it's best for John. She doesn't hate Ted, but thinks that they both need to grow up and that being apart may help them. That's how I interpreted it. The fact that Seth MacFarlane and his writing team were able to add so much depth and character to a stuffed toy as much as their human characters shows their talent.

The film's acting was very good. I thought Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis are great leads and have great comic and dramatic timing. John McHale plays Lori's jackass boss, Rex. I hated the character, but McHale nailed it. Giovanni Ribsi is Donny, a man who is obsessed with Ted. There are several additional supporting characters, but their screen time is limited so I don't think it's worth critiquing all of them. Nonetheless, the cast is stellar and work well together. But the star of the movie is Ted, played and voiced by Seth MacFarlane. Seth's energy is timeless and you can tell that the actors fed off him well.

The film's humour is very much Seth MacFarlane. Anyone who watches Family Guy, American Dad or The Cleveland Show will see it. The jokes and gags are very much incorporated with pop culture, celebrities, drugs and alcohol, sex etc. Some will see the humour as either racist, sexist or homophobic. My feeling about it is that there are many films and television shows that do that, but Seth MacFarlane is a little more direct compared to others who do try to censor themselves. MacFarlane doesn't shy away.

I was genuinely surprised that the film doesn't run out of steam. It doesn't get boring or feel like they're dragging on. The scenes mesh together convincingly and smoothly. There were times when the film was predictable, but there were some plot points that I hadn't expected and made the film that much better and funnier.

Now as much as I enjoyed the film, this isn't for everyone. The story itself isn't entirely believable. You have to have the mindset that this story isn't set in reality. But the humour is what will probably turn away viewers. The humour is direct and raunchy. I mentioned earlier that some will perceive it as either homophobic, racist or sexist, but this is how Seth MacFarlane works.

It's difficult to review this movie without spoiling it. I found Ted to be absolutely hilarious and commend Seth MacFarlane on his directorial debut. He did a fantastic job, as a director, writer and actor. One of the best comedies of 2012 and for me, one of the more memorable.

Rating: 4.5/5