If you were a lonely child, chances are that you wished on at least one occasion that your teddy bear could magically come to life to become your best friend. The epitome of innocence and naivety, what could be better than befriending a cuddly little bear? Or perhaps the better question is: what happens when that cuddly little bear grows up to become a jobless, foul-mouthed stoner who still lives with your thirty five year old self and your other half?
This is the problem John (Mark Wahlberg) has to face when his furry friend Ted (Seth MacFarlane) refuses to leave his side. The pair’s inseparability causes problems with John and his long-time girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis). Hilarity and some surprisingly emotional scenes ensue when we see Ted’s horrible attempts at trying to survive in the real world and the strain that John’s continued friendship with Ted causes on his own relationship with Lori.
In all honesty, I’d probably rate this as the best comedy of 2012 thus far. It has taken the generic buddy film and put its own twist on it, the film itself reminiscent of ’Paul’ crossed with ‘Family Guy’. This is hardly a surprise however, seen as ‘Family Guy’ creator Seth MacFarlane not only voiced everyone’s favourite foul-mouthed bear, but also directed the film itself. MacFarlane did a great job with directing, managing to portray a fairly wide spectrum of emotions through his shots alone, which truly helped bring the character of Ted to life.
Wahlberg and Kunis make a surprisingly good onscreen couple. Their dorky relationship seems to translate to screen well and doesn’t feel forced in the slightest, which sadly cannot be said for many of their comedic counterparts (‘This Means War’, I’m looking at you when I say this). Of course, their relationship is second to John and Ted’s friendship. Wahlberg deserves to be applauded for the way he interacted so effortlessly with a character that wasn’t even there, a real sense of loyalty and amity is generated for the audience to watch and enjoy. We believe in their characters, which only makes the climax of the film harder to watch.
Like most comedies, the humor is mostly generated by pop culture references and visual gags, references to Susan Boyle, Taylor Lautner and Ted’s playfully raunchy display at the checkout counter generating the most laughs in the audiences that I watched the film with. Fans of ‘Flash Gordon’ will probably be the ones who get the most out of watching the film, as there are a huge quantity of gags about the show throughout the film.
‘Ted’ isn’t for everyone’s tastes, but if you’re in the mood for some light-hearted, raunchy hilarity, then it’s well worth a watch.
This is the problem John (Mark Wahlberg) has to face when his furry friend Ted (Seth MacFarlane) refuses to leave his side. The pair’s inseparability causes problems with John and his long-time girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis). Hilarity and some surprisingly emotional scenes ensue when we see Ted’s horrible attempts at trying to survive in the real world and the strain that John’s continued friendship with Ted causes on his own relationship with Lori.
In all honesty, I’d probably rate this as the best comedy of 2012 thus far. It has taken the generic buddy film and put its own twist on it, the film itself reminiscent of ’Paul’ crossed with ‘Family Guy’. This is hardly a surprise however, seen as ‘Family Guy’ creator Seth MacFarlane not only voiced everyone’s favourite foul-mouthed bear, but also directed the film itself. MacFarlane did a great job with directing, managing to portray a fairly wide spectrum of emotions through his shots alone, which truly helped bring the character of Ted to life.
Wahlberg and Kunis make a surprisingly good onscreen couple. Their dorky relationship seems to translate to screen well and doesn’t feel forced in the slightest, which sadly cannot be said for many of their comedic counterparts (‘This Means War’, I’m looking at you when I say this). Of course, their relationship is second to John and Ted’s friendship. Wahlberg deserves to be applauded for the way he interacted so effortlessly with a character that wasn’t even there, a real sense of loyalty and amity is generated for the audience to watch and enjoy. We believe in their characters, which only makes the climax of the film harder to watch.
Like most comedies, the humor is mostly generated by pop culture references and visual gags, references to Susan Boyle, Taylor Lautner and Ted’s playfully raunchy display at the checkout counter generating the most laughs in the audiences that I watched the film with. Fans of ‘Flash Gordon’ will probably be the ones who get the most out of watching the film, as there are a huge quantity of gags about the show throughout the film.
‘Ted’ isn’t for everyone’s tastes, but if you’re in the mood for some light-hearted, raunchy hilarity, then it’s well worth a watch.
