Saturday 5 January 2013

FILM: Ted (6/10)


Why did I watch it?
I'm not a regular watcher of Seth Macfarlane's Family Guy but I've enjoyed the episodes I've seen over the years. Ted seemed to be getting promising reviews and the trailer looked pretty funny.

What's it all about?
As a child, John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) wishes he could be best friends with his teddy bear for ever. His wish comes true and his bear comes to life. Fast forward to his mid-thirties and John is still inseparable from Ted much to the chagrin of his girlfriend Mila Kunis. While still a teddy bear, Ted has grown up into a rude, beer drinking, pot smoking bad influence on John's life.

Should you watch it?
I was quite disappointed with Ted to be truthful. I actually found that Ted became slightly annoying as the movie went on, which is a pretty major problem. The script is packed with Family Guy style lines for Ted, but I found them to be very hit and miss, even more so once Ted began to grate on me.  

That's not to say that Ted doesn't have some very funny moments and nice touches. For instance, it begins with nods to magical Christmas films as Patrick Stewart narrates John's Christmas wish as the camera pans over the neighbourhood at night to witness a shooting star. I also liked the way that Macfarlane made the magic of Ted visible to all and that Ted had become an overnight celebrity before his novelty and popularity wore off. It's a refreshing but necessary take on the traditional children's magic tale.


Overall, it's a shame I didn't enjoy the film more as Mark Wahlberg plays the role of the lazy, childish grown-up well and also shows a good handle for the comedy aspect. 

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