Ted - A Review

Ted

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Seth MacFarlane

Release Date: June 29th, 2012

    I have a saying I used to like to pass along to my employees when I was in a position of power and that was, "They don't always respect that smartest guy in the room but they generally respect the hardest working." After watching "Ted" I get the sense that Seth MacFarlane is always both. There is no denying his work ethic(voice actor, writer, director, animator, producer and singer) or his quality of work(numerous Emmy nominations and wins as well as a Grammy nomination for his debut album) so it should come as no surprise that his debut film is one of the funniest movies I've seen in years.

   MacFarlane writes, directs, produces and stars in Ted the story about a man and his teddy bear. What happens when an eight year-old boy has his wish come true and his teddy bear comes to life to be his best friend? They both grow up, they get jobs, they meet women and they experiment. And as in every man and teddy bear relationship there comes a time when Man(Mark Wahlberg) must choose between the love of his life(Mila Kunis) and his bear(Seth MacFarlane).

    If you are familiar MacFarlane, you will be familiar with his style of comedy. It can appear random, it can be biting, edgy or shocking, it will be no holds bard and no topic will be off limits, but most of all, it will be funny. Right from the opening scene MacFarlane sets the tone for the movie getting the audience it's first belly laugh and it just continues from there. Ted is wonderfully animated and feels right at home on screen with the his two "A list" actor co-stars. It may seem odd but the chemistry between the three is remarkable. The surprising thing to me is that the shock value of seeing a teddy bear curse and drink(along with several other things) never really wears off. 

    However MacFarlane does not rely solely on Ted to carry the movie. He develops a solid love story/triangle with Wahberg and Kunis and this movie does have moments where it felt a bit like a romantic comedy. He keeps the pacing brisk and the laughs coming.

    Over the years I've seen a lot of comedies and even the worst screenwriter can string together some cliches and get a laugh that's why so many of my reviews start off positive but usually end with a form of criticism  However this movie does not get that from me. This is a star studded, finely written, well directed and niccly paced comedy that deserves your time and money.