Hilarious film!

Rating: 9/10 (6 July 2012)

I haven't reviewed a film in forever, so I thought to myself ''Why not review the last movie I have seen?''. Well, last night, my trip to the theatre was to see Seth MacFarlane's TED. I'm pretty familiar with Seth MacFarlane's comedy, and while I'm not always fond of it, I do kind of like it. However, with MacFarlane, it's usually a love-it-or-hate-it kind of comedy. As a result, TED could have easily gone one way or the other. Luckily for us, Ted goes in the right direction, and while undeniably very raunchy and very crude, those who are not offended by such humour will be in for one very, very funny ride.
John is the least popular kid in the neighbourhood. One Christmas Eve, he is given a teddy bear, and while the teddy bear isn't alive per Se, it automatically becomes John's best friend. One night, little John wishes for his bear to come alive, which is exactly what happens, and the two are now really best friends. It's a really cute story at first, but what happens 27 years after? Well, John (Mark Wahlberg) and his bear, ''Ted''(voice of Seth MacFarlane himself) are stoners and John, at 35 years old, works in a car rental company. John is in a relationship with Lori (Mila Kunis), a very patient and mature girl who, despite loving him too, believes that Ted is a nuisance to her relationship with John. In order to get the best of both worlds, John lets Ted go, helps him find a job, and other things like that...
I'm not saying more. I could go on and on about the plot, but I don't feel like spoiling anything. What you do got to know though is that TED is a very, very funny comedy. It works on pretty much every level. Seth MacFarlane's branch of humour is worthy of the early Family Guy episodes, back when it was any good. It is also easily recognizable in TED. Whether he's bashing Jews on a Christmas Eve or having someone pick up a piece of sh!t from the floor, there are many gags you could actually picture seeing on television. Of course, there are many pop culture references as well. However, those don't always work as well as the other gags, but still, when they work well, they're very funny. I'm thinking of an opening gag and a closing gag aimed at some today and past stars which had me up in stitches, and that, long after the movie was ended. The movie also kind of feels like a thriller near the end with a pretty tense car chase. A few other parts, near the end mostly, emotions were present. Not in a crying-your-heart-out kind of way, but more like a Aww-that's-sad kind of way.
Of course, both leads are great in their roles. Mark Wahlberg is surprisingly solid, constantly replying with perfect comedic timing and sometimes a surprising amount of emotion to...well, a teddy bear, who doesn't even exist. Mila Kunis also has her funny moments, but besides a climatic decision and being the one who wants Ted and John's bromance to end, she doesn't really bring anything useful to the movie (I blame the way the character was written, because Kunis was perfect for the role.) Undeniably, the real star of the movie is Ted himself. Not only does he look surprisingly realistic for a CGI teddy bear, but he's quite the entertainer. And while most of what comes out of his mouth is profane, it's also very funny. In fact, if Ted were an actual comedian, I wouldn't hesitate one minute to buy tickets for his one-man show. I'll give a special credit to Giovanni Ribisi (who also starred in Contraband, opposing Mark Wahlberg earlier this year), who is awesome as a stalker, but I won't say much more.
Overall, like I said, TED goes one way or another. For me, it definitely went the right way. It was hilarious and entertaining enough to warrant a full price ticket at the theatre. Let me put it this way. TED is up there with 21 Jump Street in terms of 2012 comedy. MacFarlane fans, you do not want to miss this movie. MacFarlane haters, enter with an open mind and you might exit pleasantly surprised. Average moviegoer looking to go on a date or to go see a movie? Why not try out TED? Before I used to give 10's out as a way to say "Highest recommendation", but I don't give 10's out like that anymore. 9 is a really great mark, and that is what I'm giving to TED, because that's exactly what it deserves.