TED Review

TED is the story of a loveable Disney type friendship between a child and his magical toy friend he wished to life. But fast forward a few years and the world has forgotten about the former celebrity toy that was TED, the child is now a grown up Mark Wahlberg and it all turns a little R-rated. They coast through life, not doing much. Their relationship is very much a stoner buddy college friendship.They have banter back and forth, the meaningless type of conversation that only people who share interests could argue about and just spend most of their waking day together.

Ted (Seth MacFarlane) is vulgar having experienced most of his life as a one time celebrity and acts as the red devil on John Bennett’s (Mark Walhberg) shoulder, coaxing him in to doing childish things to make him waste his life in a nostalgic limbo. John Bennett is a grown up who hasn’t quite got on with his life but is trying to take steps forward due to his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis)

This is essentially an extended episode of Family Guy, but what more would you expect from Seth MacFarlane? Flashback talk of the “remember that time when” and Seth MacFarlane actually just doing the voices from Family Guy (yes I do understand it’s his own voice), specifically conjuring up Stewie’s voice feel all too familiar.

Unfortunately Ted doesn’t really have much direction in its 2nd act and descends into racial stereotyping jokes and moments which fall flat. The crazy Asian character ripped is just light years back in humor and just serves to be overt, but this can only be blamed of the rising popularity of this type of character after ‘The Hangover’.

A cameo from Norah Jones is just unnecessary other than a favour to the director, it has no comedic value or purpose to push the story forward other than in runtime. In fact this film is littered with several other cameos, which just feel like favors as they offer little comedic value. To sum up the humor missed with these recognisable faces; “it’s funny because he’s not gay!”, “it’s funny because she would not do that in real life!”, which I found to be rather unimaginative.

In the final act Ted remembers that it needs some sort of plot to claim to be a film and oddly takes a turn in to the dramatic. This is actually where Ted’s humor does reshine as it is juxtaposed to the situations he is in. Ted’s witty lines to an unaware psychotic child hit the nail on the head.

Ted does have it’s moments but it is very hit and miss. Quite a few jokes feel like they have been written a while ago and therefore have outstayed their welcome or recycled. But if you like your humour vulgar and pushing the boundaries then this may be worth a watch.