Tell me a story

What’s it about? Ted tells the story of a friendless boy named John who wishes his stuffed teddy bear alive on one magical Christmas day.  John and Ted develop a tight friendship that lasts all the way into adulthood. If you could call it adulthood. John (played by Mark Wahlberg) and Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) live with John’s girlfriend at her apartment. John is barely holding down a job. Ted parties with hookers. Together spend a lot of time getting high and rewatching Flash Gordon. But John’s girlfriend, Lori (played by Mila Kunis), is getting tired of dating a boy who still needs to sleep with his teddy bear when there’s a thunderstorm. She wants a man. This causes major problems for John who doesn’t want to lose the woman he loves but also wants to be there for the one person (even if Ted is not really a person) who’s been there for him all his life.

What did I think about it? It’s a hell of a funny movie. Ted is easily the star of it and gets most of the good lines. He says some particularly foul things, and it’s extra funny because it’s coming out of the mouth of a cute teddy bear. There’s no way a real person would be this endearing if he were doing and saying the same things. Ted was written and directed by Seth MacFarlane, and if you don’t know who that is let me just name the shows he’s created: Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show. That right there should give you an idea of the humor in Ted.  Family Guy fans will recognize the foreign guy who’s been living in the U.S. almost long enough to sound American. They’ll be used to the random pop culture references. They might also see a little bit of Brian Griffin and Peter Griffin in Ted himself, but this is not just some extended version of a Family Guy episode. Ted stands on his own as a uniquely funny character. And it’s pretty remarkable that he and Mark Wahlberg have such great chemistry, considering only one of them is real. After seeing Wahlberg in The Other Guys and now this, it’s clear the dude kills it when he’s in a buddy film. Mila Kunis also has good chemistry with him, but it’s kind of a shame that she doesn’t get much of a chance to be as funny as the guys. Giovanni Ribisi on the other hand has a short but hilarious role.

So what’s the bottom line? If you’re looking for a funny movie that’s as crass as it is touching, go see Ted. It’s an awesome directorial debut for Seth MacFarlane, and I look forward to watching it again sometime in the future.

Ted
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Writers: Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show), Alec Sulkin (The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Family Guy), Wellesly Wild (The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, Family Guy)

And just for fun here are some movie stills: