silly, ridiculous, sometimes funny

Rating: Null/10 (17 February 2013)

The multi talented Seth MacFarlane has created a silly, ridiculous and sometimes funny comedy about a boy whose teddy bear magically comes to life, talking and acting like a human being (courtesy of MacFarlane's own voice-over) and remains his best friend through the years. MacFarlane's script deftly explains that, yes, a teddy bear come to life would become a media sensation, but like all media sensations quickly enough wears out his welcome with the public and reaches the point where nobody cares any more (like, we are told, the cast of the TV sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes"). A premise which in other hands might have been turned into cute whimsy, becomes in MacFarlane's hands a gag-ridden hybrid of buddy movie and romantic comedy, half adolescent toilet humor, one quarter post-baby-boom pop cultural references and the remainder divided between wacky Preston Sturges-like eruptions of comic chaos and clever, jabbing satire on human foibles from the point of view of the jaded white middle-class. Some of the dialogue soars.
The male lead is played by Mark Wahlberg, who in recent years has chosen to pump his pecs and biceps to the point where he jiggles when he runs down a flight of stairs. His girlfriend is the sultry beauty Mila Kunis who can really act. Many laughs are generated by a strong supporting cast including Joel McHale as Kunis's arrogant boss and especially Giovanni Ribisi in a highly inventive characterization as a creepy father who, with his overweight pre-teen son, are obsessed with the title character.
MacFarlane's TV show, "Family Guy," has always been good for a few laughs and this movie continues the tradition on the big screen.