Reviews

Ted

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis
Written & directed by Seth MacFarlane
Rating: MA 15+

Ted On one fateful Christmas Eve, eight-year-old John Bennett (Wahlberg) made a wish. He wished for his teddy bear to be able to talk to him so they could be best friends for ever and ever.

By some twist of fate, the next morning the once-stuffed toy was a walking, talking, living teddy bear. The look on John’s parents' faces when they hear Ted walk and talk is absolutely priceless.

Fast forward several decades and Ted has become a foul-mouthed slacker teddy bear voiced by Seth MacFarlane. If you're a fan of Family Guy, at first it may be difficult to shake the image of Peter Griffin from your mind. MacFarlane is a talented voice artist with a long list of different-sounding voice credits to his name, so it's strange that he decided to voice Ted so similarly to another one of his characters.

Forgoing the premise of the main protagonist’s best friend being a stuffed toy, Ted is about the true strength of relationships. When Ted is put in a dangerous situation, John doesn't think twice about taking action.

John is in a four-year relationship with Lori (Kunis), who is fed up with John and Ted’s immature antics. What could be less attractive to a woman than a man’s teddy bear being his best friend? Or that same teddy bear running into his owner's bed on a stormy night, so the "Thunder Buddies" can protect each other?

Lori gives John an ultimatum: it's either her or Ted. John is torn between true love and his best friend. Ted has been there for him since he was eight years old, when no one wanted to be his friend. The film documents John’s struggle to create his own identity away from his confidant of 27 years.

The Ryan Reynolds cameo is strange, and does nothing to develop the main storyline, but what happens with his character is completely unexpected. Ladies, you may have your hearts broken - just remember it's only a movie.

The trailer for Ted is really just a selection of some of the funniest lines from the movie, masking many of the key plot elements nicely. You'll never expect some of the shenanigans John and Ted get up to.

To describe Ted as purely a comedy would be unfair to the depth of the storyline. It's a comedy, a suspense movie and a romance all rolled into one. But although it combines a mixture of genres, I wouldn't suggest taking young children to see the movie. Yes, a teddy bear is cute and cuddly, but Ted truly defies the social conventions of acceptable stuffed toy behaviour.

3 out of 5.

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