A little disappointed

Rating: 6/10 (3 February 2015)

 When I heard Seth MacFarlane, the baby-faced genius behind TV's most hilarious sitcom, "Family Guy," was planning his feature-film debut, I was totally thrilled. I was even more excited to learn the plot would revolve around a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear magically brought to life via his owner's childhood wish. And when I discovered Mark Wahlberg and "Family Guy" regular Mila Kunis were signing on to star, I began eagerly counting the days until it premiered. And when the film finally arrived, my patience is rewarded with ... a gross-out comedy from the guy responsible for creating history's funniest animated series? Yes, there are moments when MacFarlane's clever side intercedes, and those bits are great, especially his biting digs at washed-up child stars and Taylor Lautner. But for the most part, he and co-writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Weld go for the cheap and lazy, like poop-and-fart jokes, and walk-ons by the likes of Tom Skerritt, Norah Jones, Ryan Reynolds and Flash Gordon himself, Sam J. Jones, that serve no purpose beyond providing a knowing wink and nudge to MacFarlane's hippest fans.