Pleasant Surprise

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2012)

Though I have been a loyal Family Guy fan (although the series has seemed less funny over the past few years), I was a bit hesitant to see Seth McFarlane's first live-action film. Let me just start by saying that not only did I cry laughing in the movie theater, I am still chuckling about it more than a day afterwards. I thought that it was a good story (at least as good as it could be with the very plausible idea of a stuffed teddy-bear coming to life), with great cameo's, and a hilarious dialogue. If you are looking for a really sappy movie, this probably isn't the one, as Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis are about as believable as a couple as Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, but nevertheless, that isn't really what the film is all about. It reminds me of a children's movie, with themes of magic and miracles and holiday cheer, up until Patrick Stewart starts talking about the neighborhood boys beating up on a Jew. Essentially this is a feel-good movie with all the vulgarity and "piss-off world" attitude that we Griffinites can enjoy. If you enjoy the idea of a talking teddy-bear, one who might utilize vegetables in a sexual manner, that smokes more weed than you've ever even seen, maybe does cocaine with a certain 80's icon, and has a mouth that only a mother from Boston could love, then this is the film for you. If there was one thing that this movie taught me, I would have to say that it is that an Apache Attack Helicopter is indeed more powerful than a little boy's wish, but not by much.