Bear-able.

Rating: 7/10 (8 July 2012)

You want bear puns? Look no further! Thankfully, though, the humour in Ted is somewhat more refined. For most TV show creators, the opportunity to translate their talents to the big screen comes with a license to push boundaries in new and exciting ways not available through the medium of television. For Seth MacFarlane, creator of the outrageously outrageous Family Guy and ridiculously underrated American Dad!, it must have just felt like another day at the office.
John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is the loneliest kid in Boston. While the other children engage in unique Christmas traditions, John spends his days inside, wishing for just one friend. On Christmas Day, that wish comes true in the form of Ted the stuffed bear (MacFarlane), who is magically transformed into a living being, the miraculous story of which spreads like wildfire across the country. Fast-forward nearly thirty years and Ted's fame has long-since vanished. He and John now spend their days getting high, watching bad movies and managing John's relationship with Lori (Mila Kunis).
As if to state the painfully obvious, the amount of fun to be had with this film is heavily influenced by how familiar one is with MacFarlane's comedic style. Each of his animated creations employ sharp one-liners, bizarre set pieces and a ton of pop culture references, all of which are prominent in Ted. Naturally, the humour is all sorts of politically incorrect, with jokes ranging from drugs to sex to September 11. Highlights include Ted's job interview at the local supermarket, Patrick Stewart's narration and a house party with Sam Jones, star of Ted and John's favourite film of all-time, Flash Gordon.
It is made clear by the closing credits where the bulk of the effort went into making this film, as most jokes hit resulting in an array of instantly quotable material making it difficult to watch Ted without a perpetual smile on your face. With so many references to popular culture jam-packed within two hours, most international viewers are likely to misunderstand jokes about Tom Brady, Pepperidge Farm and those promiscuous 'Bahstan Gahls', but the film does more than enough to keep all viewers chuckling throughout.
The motion-capture argument typically begins and ends with Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and deservedly so, but an honourable mention must go to this film's visual effects team for the creation of Ted who, both voiced and controlled by MacFarlane, looks about as close to believable as can be.
The film tends to cruise in areas not pertaining to straight-out comedy, which may be a direct side effect of MacFarlane's first outing in the director's chair. The plot has been done literally thousands of times before and the character arcs established early leave the viewer in no doubt as to where the movie is heading to the extent that, once you take away the fact that Ted is not human, it starts to look a lot more like every deliberately offensive rom-com ever. Regardless, the film refuses to take itself too seriously with plenty of tension-breaking jokes that, along with a multitude of A-list cameos, work a whole lot better than would appear on paper.
Ted begins to deviate from its comedic roots just slightly during the climax set after-hours inside Fenway Park (just out of shot: David Ortiz socking a few dingers), but it does allow for an epilogue that, at least temporarily, strikes the audience off-guard by neatly showcasing the charming bond formed between a man and his bear. Indifferent viewers will enjoy Ted without differentiating it from most other contemporary comedies, while fans of the director's prior work are likely to draw a lot more enjoyment out of every scene.
*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review. If you're looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, I'd also love to hear from you.*