Family Guy on R-rated steroids

Rating: 6/10 (30 June 2012)

Have you ever wondered what Peter Griffin would sound like with a Boston accent? Well the talking teddy bear Ted is the answer in Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane's directorial debut, Ted. MacFarlane provides the voice of Ted in this raunchy comedy about a young boy who makes a Christmas wish that brings his stuffed teddy bear to life. But, as the boy grows up, so does Ted. Jump forward twenty years to the story of a grown man balancing work, a girlfriend, and his best friend Ted the teddy bear.
Ted is raunchy, vulgar, crass, and culturally relevant. It's a comedic styling much in the vein of Family Guy or any of MacFarlane's other shows, just pumped up with R-rated steroids. From the start with this film's wacky premise we know that it doesn't take itself too seriously and is really only here to deliver the laughs. It's a fairly predictable film and it's plot is very Hollywoodized at times, but it's also pretty damn hilarious. MacFarlane's off brand humor is where this film is successful, as one would expect. However, in about five or six years half the jokes in Ted will no longer be relevant as there are a lot of pop culture references littered throughout this film that will mean nothing in only a few short years.
But for now practically all of Ted is absolutely hysterical. It's lots of foul language, plenty of potty humor, and a plethora of dirty sight gags that make Ted tick. Also, a fine helping of cameos keeps the humor fresh and increasingly hilarious, whether or not it makes any sense at all. Sometimes it's really just Seth MacFarlane showing off how far his Hollywood star power tentacles can reach, but none of it falls flat. In fact, very little of the humor in Ted falls flat. I really enjoyed this film. It's nothing more than another raunchy comedy, but it certainly entertained me, and what more need I ask for?