The Case for Stuffed Friends

Considering Ted is by the people who did Family Guy, how could I not go?

And if, like me, you are a fan of the Family Guy, the style and structure of the film will feel very familiar.  There are the odd segues explaining (or redefining) the past; there is the ever lovely Mila Kunis (it is still so... awesome that she is Meg); there are guest stars galore (Patrick Stewart! Ryan Reynolds! And an awesomely creepy Giovani Ribisi!) to add to an impressive cast (Mark Wahlberg! Joel McHale!); there is lots of low brow humour; and of course, there is lots of Seth MacFarlane.

At least he doesn't sing. At least, not much. And the jokes and the ridiculous come thick and fast.  But what really can one expect from a movie based on the idea that a child's wish animates a teddy bear and they become buddies for life - or, they do, until a girl comes into the mix.

The story itself is not really that surprising.  Everything in it is pretty Hollywood, with the typical turns being taken along the road, but the trip there takes a whole lot of amusing diversions and, for any kid or fan of the 80s, has a huge number of references, nods and homages to that era that are bound to amuse and entertain. And the film is definitely aimed at a more mature audience anyway, with a high number of f bombs and references to lewd acts, most of them used to hilarious effect.

And... that's about it really!  It is actually pretty funny, and I don't want to give too much away, so I won't say much more.

About my only gripe with the film was its length.  It wasn't incredibly long or anything, but it did tend to drag in places, mainly in those where the Hollywood influences on the film overpowered the Family Guy principles.  And getting a little restless in a comedy film is never really a good thing.

Nonetheless, Wahlberg and Kunis have a very easy chemistry between them, and the film itself flows very easily.  I did wonder where all Ted's money went, considering his fame early on in the show, but then, this isn't really a film that requires or demands a huge amount of citicial thought.  Just sit back, relax and, on occasion, search the old mental memory banks to pick up what pop cultural reference they are making.

Verdict: Ted is a lot of fun in a very laid back way.  This isn't really a story about boy meets girl: the romance has already happened, and so this film explores the effect that romance has on a lifelong bromance, with a huge amount of swear words and drug taking thrown in for good measure.  So its more a rom-com for boys, with the emphasis more on the com than the rom, and that suited me just fine.  4 Plushies out of 5.