TED
Vashawn McQurter
Devry University

TED
Ted is a dark comedy full of “gut wrenching” laughter, this humorous satire is a film everyone from ages 17 and up should definitely check out. It’s a” must see”, actor/ director Seth McFarland (family guy) in one of his first big screen debuts scores two thumbs up for his sly but exhilarating story plot. Full of “peter griffin” type jokes and witty punch lines McFarland Captures all the fundamental aspects of a summer box office smash. As the plot thickens moviegoers and comedy lovers will experience a hilarious combination of humor and melodrama. There is no doubt that this film covers a logical story plot, comedy and a real life message all in one movie ticket. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Seth McFarland, Mila Kunis and a host of other upcoming stars, the cast is the dead giveaway of a masterpiece in the making.
The story starts off with a kid, (Wahlberg) who made a wish for a friend, not just any friend a “thunder buddy “to keep him company while growing up as a misfit in Boston. His parents bought him a teddy bear for Christmas to cater to their son’s lonely childhood, which came to life after one magical wish was granted. The boy wakes up to find his new teddy bear alive and full of wise cracking jokes with an oath to never leave his side. Time passed and the two became close as brothers, through the golden years of adolescence, young adulthood and even the mid-life crisis ages of the early 30’s.A conflict came about years after Wahlberg met his fiancée (Mila Kunis), causing him to make a life altering decision either lose the love of his life or put down his stuffed animal, best bud “ted”. Kunis began to notice Wahlberg’s ongoing favoritism to the bear and eventually breaks up with him. This dramatic turn of events gets ted and john into a fight that makes them go their separate ways, until the bear reaches out to bring the relationship back together in exchange for his disappearance. All was well until ted was abducted by a psychopath (Giovanni Ribisi) and his estranged son, in which john and his girlfriend had to come to the bear’s aid. A “fairytale” like ending closes the movie with the three realizing they all need each other in a “happily ever after” conclusion. The humor is crazy! Movie critics will die from a humorous script full of laughter! It’s clear to see that the script was critiqued and put together by a comic genius.
The references and slick metaphors provide a “glued to the seat” type of emotion where the viewer’s hang off every word the characters say. It gives you a feel for McFarland’s hit cartoon show “family guy”, some of the formats and climax are very similar to a few of the shows episodes. If the audience is in love with vulgar but undeniably humorous twists then this will reasonably be a fan favorite. It’s as if they took comedy central, put a sentimental twist to it, and added a “south park” satire to it. However, the timing and arrangement of the jokes and one-liners were put in the wrong place or sometimes expressed at non-humorous scenes of the movie. For example, religious viewers could start controversy over the bear being referred to as a “baby Jesus”. In the words of the wise “there is a time and place for everything”, the misplacement of some of the punches generally made a few jokes not funny. The plot was actually more than just a flurry of meaningless stand-up comedy. Tremendous credibility goes out to any director/actor of the comedy genre that can make a melodrama scenario in a comic movie actually worth the wild. Throughout the movie there are quite a few scenes with a “lifetime channel movie, dialogue involved to give viewers a serious side to the film. John and ted turn from boy to men and cub to bear, giving the film the classic “coming-of-age “experience much needed to thicken the story itself. This gives the audience a more detailed look at the main characters upcoming also saw in “The lion king” plot. Not to mention a twist in the conclusion just when all else fails the same wish that made ted brought him back to life. Nowadays, producers and directors stop going for the good endings, or usually replace them with unexpected, pointless twists, but not in this case. On another note, Mark Wahlberg isn’t the funniest guy around he’s noted for more serious movies such as “contraband”, “The Italian job”, and “Fear”. Besides the coming-of-age scenes, the characters didn’t have a detailed breakdown for why And How Certain events came to pass. Lori (Mila Kunis) family was never mentioned or was her way of thinking brought to the storyline. The thing that became more of a minus then a plus is the constant relation and reference to “peter griffin” throughout the movie. It was already understood who narrates ted’s voice without there being a shout out to griffin in the film. That made it seem like a cheap way for McFarland to self-market his previous projects. The interesting note is the Logic, a Christmas setting in the beginning of the movie gives the bear a “Frosty the snowman” vibe, as johns wish brought ted to life during Christmas. An important message that the film brings is some wishes come true as it sheds light on the meaning of friendship and value. On the other hand the over-the-top fight scene between ted and john was pretty lame and unrealistic. It’s one thing for a teddy bear drink and smoke pot, but packing a ferocious jab is doing too much. Besides the fact that it was only for a mature audience due to the explicit content, the actual acting cast should’ve been a little bit more diverse.
Overall the movie was satisfying, with the humorous, script, amazing plot and all though its make-believe it had a lot of logic in it. There should be a sequel to the film with the same family guy story line and “stand-up comedian”, lines by the characters. For a big screen debut as a producer and director Seth Macfarland did an awesome job. Critics are probably looking in disbelief; many didn’t think the family guy writer had this type of genius in his work. At first the expectations were one thumb up as an underdog, after watching the film multiple times it deserves two!