Oh no, comedy! A genre I can rarely tolerate, as evident by my shredding of the 'hilarious' Inbetweeners 2 earlier this year, it's something that's so dependant on certain audiences that having an outsider break down their opinion on it leads to a difficult experience. Take Ted for example. The brainchild of Family Guy/American Dad creator Seth MacFarlane, and borrowing many elements from his popular creations, this first feature was eaten up by audiences and led to a sequel (out in the UK this week) which is currently doing less-than-sparkling business. It's a film that many enjoy and laugh at despite a bizarre main plot integrated with a typical romance storyline - but is it that good now that we're in a world where Seth MacFarlane can be terrible thanks to A Million Ways to Die in the West?
When John (Mark Wahlberg) was a young boy, he wishes that his closest friend - a teddy bear - was alive, he doesn't expect his dream to come true; least of all his parents, who react...negatively. The action makes the bear a celebrity of sorts, but after nearly three decades the façade has faded and the two are now drug-abusing roommates. Ted (voiced by MacFarlane) is holding back his metaphorical brother, which is resulting in a massive strain on John's long-term relationship with Lori (Mila Kunis). With their anniversary approaching, she's desperate to get married but John is adamant thanks to Ted, which leads to an ultimatum of sorts about growing up and leaving Ted alone. They agree following an indecent incident revolving around a game of Truth or Dare, but the stuffed bear constantly drags John back into his life against Lori's wishes. Can they have a happily ever after with a pot-taking teddy bear making a nuisance?
In the story department, there's isn't really anything to comment on. When you look at the romance storyline, it's nothing special outside of a troubling relationship because of a friend of one of the partner's. Add a flirty Joel McHale in the stereotypical 'rival prospect' and of course those instances where the partner has one chance left to redeem himself but inevitable fails because of his friend's temptations (in this case, a cameoing Sam J. Jones). Ted's personal adventure of becoming an actual part of society instead of coasting it also lacks any real depth, and the constant collisions between the stories leads nothing new to the imagination. The only difference to other comedies of this standard is that the friend just so happens to be a washed-up talking teddy bear and a weird ploy revolving around an obsessed Giovanni Ribisi - which in itself ends up being less than riveting than it sounds. Is it a story that works? Usually, yes. Does it make it better that one of the characters is a bear? A little, seeing as it's something new, yes. Is it any good though? Not really.
It's the same with the comedic beats spread across the film. You get the usual drug laughs and oddball interaction, but the rest is nothing new to the regular fare of MacFarlane's shows. An offensive comment here, an outrageous event there - you get the idea, the only thing missing are the cutaways, and even then there's one or two present. Again, the taste is dependant on the viewer, but as something which just seems like a more focused episode of Family Guy the jokes may not hit the same mark on the movie audience against the TV audience that has grown accustomed to it over the course of multiple seasons.
With the vocal talent being limited to MacFarlane combing the voices of Family Guy characters Brian and Peter and Patrick Stewart as a narrator, it's a good thing that the two are well-adjusted to the formula. Stewart's narration is limited but always welcome - especially in the opening when things appear to be as magical as a classic 80s family film - while MacFarlane is having fun as per usual. His voice is easy to recognise, but fits the character and its design (which is very well animated) strongly. As for the human characters present, it's another case of there being nothing noteworthy. Wahlberg may have a nice rapport with the animated bear, but outside of the pairing he lacks any of the charisma or charm that would be expected; Kunis plays a typical slightly up-tight girlfriend who rarely does much outside of whine; McHale seems to have a bit of difficulty with his role (a big 180 on his role on Community, which may be why it seems off in my case); Ribis succeeds only in being rather creepy; Jessica Barth is ear-shattering as Tami-Lynn, and finally Sam J. Jones is alright in his various cameos across the film's third act. There's also plenty of cameos from the likes of Norah Jones and Tom Skerritt, but they don’t really add anything.
Ted is a movie which tries to come across as something new and unique, but fails to pass the former test. A new concept certainly, but with jokes which are a mix of the usual and of MacFarlane's own pre-existing material and a cast of characters which never seem to click. Is there any moment of hilarity? Nothing much, but an occasional smirk is as far as most comedies get with me. Perhaps the biggest criticism with the film now though may be the consequences of the upcoming sequel, where Mila Kunis has been written out and Wahlberg's character now single - making the entire plot for the first film void of necessity outside of introducing these characters. Something to watch only if you're curious, want to watch the sequel or into this type of movie. Otherwise, a 4/10.
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