Funny and enjoyed it

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2012)

From Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane comes a very solid comedy about the over-dependent relationship between John (Mark Wahlberg) and his walking, talking, swear-happy, bong-smoking teddy bear (voiced by MacFarlane). His girlfriend (Mila Kunis) is unhappy with Ted's disruptive influence and john has to make the uncomfortable decision about having to grow up. While merrily delivering all the coarse anti-PC humour the Family Guy fanbase have a right to expect, the best thing about Ted is also its biggest surprise - it has real heart. In lesser hands this could so easily have been a throwaway one-joke movie, yet Ted actually develops into a full-bodied tale about friendship as MacFarlane actually makes you care about the relationship between John and his boyhood bear.
The film's top-shelf visual effects go a long way to making the premise work, but what ultimately sells it is the quality of the direction. Despite the fact that he's a stuffed toy he's actually more credible than the cardboard characters that populate most rom-coms. Beneath all the naughty jokes and signature pop culture references - just watch the sales of Flash Gordon DVDs skyrocket! - you really care for this bear. As a rewatch 06 14 19' then again 06/08/20' Ted remains a highly entertaining comedy.