TED

This review was published in Edition 6 of BULL in 2012. It took up a whole page, even though it's less than 250 words! Wo wo wo what etc.

Try though it does to be something more, Ted is a fairly generic tale of choosing between a lover and a friend. Granted, the friend in question is a stuffed bear with a penchant for pot and swearing, but only one of those three characteristics really differentiates the film from the Judd Apatow ‘romps’ that are virtually a dime a dozen. 

The film marks a turning point for Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane. McFarlane not only voices the titular character, but also makes his feature-length directorial debut. Despite this apparent change, strong traces of his previous work are evident in the film’s smutty (albeit often enjoyable) humour. 

"How dare you give our movie just 3 stars!" etc.

At times, however, in-jokes can provide more confusion than laughs. A lack of knowledge of the 1980 film version of Flash Gordon proves detrimental. Allusions to the movie are scattered throughout, and a bizarre appearance by its star, Sam J. Jones adds to an apparently ‘hilarious’ motif that may be more baffling than entertaining for those not in the loop.

Regardless of such flaws, the film does have its moments. The animation of the titular bear is impressively seamless, and Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis display an obvious rapport.  At its best, the film is engaging, even genuinely shocking. A brilliant cameo by Norah Jones of ‘Don’t Know Why’ fame completely subverts her softly-spoken public persona with uproarious (if slightly unnerving) results. At its worst, however, Ted is predictable, bordering on crude, and overly long.

3/5