TED

Mark Wahlberg and Seth McFarlane (not the bear the guy running it) in Ted

Seth MacFarlane’s long awaited comedy TED is hands down the best comedy you can see this year. Not only is the comedy smart, it is filled with so many pop-culture references it makes you wonder where Seth MacFarlane finds the time to watch these 80’s TV series and movies. MacFarlane runs on average five TV shows for fox that fill up its Monday primetime time slots.

Johnny Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) was the hated kid in school and had no friends. Even the kids that the average bullies picked on didn’t want to hang out with him. Then one year for Christmas John’s parents get him a teddy bear, that when its chest is pushed says things like “ I love you”. Johnny is immediately drawn to the bear and wishes later that night that the bear would be real. Generally one is told in life that you should be careful for what you wish for, because one day it just might come true. In Johnny’s case this actually might not have been a bad idea. Because we later find out that this is what got him through school and gave him the necessary confidence to succeed in life.

Ted (Seth MacFarlane) may speak his mind to the world, but is also the most vulgar teddy bear that could possibly be thought of. He may not only smoke Mary Jane, but is very descriptive in what he wants to do to certain females he runs into. Ted speaks with a thick Boston accent, which overall things considering the fact that this is where the story takes place, adds to the comedy of the film.

The plot is very simple here, but also very effective in the same light.  Lori Collins (Mila Kunis) has asked Johnny that Ted move out so that they can continue to build their relationship and go about life as normal couples do. However, Johnny discovers that life without Ted can be kind of a drag. So Johnny begins to give bullshit excuses at work to get out early and go hang out with his pal.

Seth MacFarlane is known for working with the same people and there are many MacFarlane Regulars to be seen here. Alex Borstien can be seen as Johnny’s mother as well as Patrick Warburton as a bank teller. Needless to say that Patrick Stewart narrates the film and that Mila Kunis is our lead actress in the film. There are many others, but it makes sense to use the people you know; it generally can make all the difference during a films production.

TED is very well made for a comedy and has some very impressive visuals and the best part is they don’t disappear. I know for a fact that Boston doesn’t look as good as it is shown in the film and anyone who lives there can vouch for that as well.

If you enjoy the animated TV shows like Family Guy (1999) or American Dad (2005) that MacFarlane has created then you won’t feel out of place watching TED. It can be argued that its like watching a live version of the Family Guy and therefore fans of either show will enjoy this clever piece of comedy from the very talented man.