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 Writer/director/actor
Seth MacFarlane has built an empire with his hit cartoon “Family Guy,” so one
can hardly blame the creator when his debut feature as a filmmaker, “Ted,”
resembles an episode of the beloved series. Raunchy and ridiculous, “Ted” is an
easy transition for MacFarlane, who brings to the screen a succession of
gross-outs, non-sequiturs, and pop culture references, used to buttress a simple
story of a magical wish gone horribly wrong. It’s a funny picture, never quite
as sweet as MacFarlane imagines, but still generous with the silly stuff and
captivatingly bizarre. And if you happen to adore the 1980 sci-fi extravaganza
“Flash Gordon”, than you should drop everything and purchase a ticket
immediately.
As a shy 8-year-old, John (played as an adult by Mark Wahlberg) was friendless,
spending all of his time with his teddy bear, Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane).
Bringing Ted to life with an extraordinary wish, John proceeds to spend the next
27 years with his furry little buddy, growing into a pot-loving, “Flash Gordon”
watching duo who refuse to grow up, much to the dismay of John’s longtime
girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis). Faced with losing Lori, John hopes to distance
himself from Ted, urging the bear to starting living his own life. However,
Ted’s influence is difficult to refuse, leaving John torn between the woman he
loves and the goofball bear he’s known for most of his life. As future
relationships are worked out by the trio, Ted and John are creeped out by Donny
(Giovanni Ribisi), a desperate father who wants to bring Ted home to play with
his demanding son.
“Ted” isn’t aiming to be an award-winner, but it does fully represent
MacFarlane’s cinematic interests in a confident manner, launching his
directorial career with a specialized hit of oddity meant to please his devoted
fanbase. Much like an episode of “Family Guy,” “Ted” contains a few
belly-laughs, several groaners, a handful of tasteless comments, and a heaping
helping of film and television references, representing a man who stopped paying
close attention to the media landscape in 1989. It’s all very familiar, even
Ted’s voice is a mix of Peter and Brian Griffin (the movie acknowledges the
lift), but it’s sold convincingly through MacFarlane’s focus on nonsense and the
picture’s surprisingly good-natured approach. “Ted” avoids pitch-black comedy,
selecting a more rascally tone that toys with Boston brute behaviors (served
with wicked good accents) and the undeniable magic of a bong-sucking teddy bear
that has sex with women.
There’s actually a story to “Ted” concerning the maturation of John, who once
needed his bear pal to curse away thunderstorms and now can’t quite quit his bad
influence of a friend, leaving Lori frustrated with a man she dearly loves. The
plot is formulaic, only brightened by MacFarlane shenanigans (and a bouncy big
band score by Walter Murphy), including a spray of vulgarity, a running joke
involving Tom Skerritt as a status symbol, and an effort to establish Ted as an
authentic display of Christmastime sorcery, with the bear spending much of the
1980s on the cover of magazines and as a guest on “The Tonight Show.” “Ted” also
provides numerous movie references to the likes of “Airplane” and “Indiana Jones
and the Temple of Doom,” though it saves most of its monkey business for “Flash
Gordon,” which receives extended worship onscreen. Even Sam Jones (who dropped
out of acting in 2007) makes an appearance, playing a manic version of himself,
encouraging John and Ted to try cocaine, also chanting “Death to Ming!” before
downing shots. For “Flash” fanatics, it’s a euphoric tribute stuffed with subtle
pokes at the movie, carried with a wonderful propensity for violence by a
shockingly game Jones. He’s still the true savior of the universe.
Equally as inviting is the lead performance from Wahlberg, who’s
uncharacteristically lighthearted as John, playing broad with MacFarlane as the
schlub works to put his life in order, yet can’t resist Ted’s mischief. It can’t
be easy playing a bro to a CGI bear, yet the actor makes an immense impression
with his liveliness and commitment to the presence of Ted. He’s highly amusing,
and Kunis also keeps her head above water, avoiding the nag routine to find
reasonable irritation for Lori, keeping the material grounded in emotional
realism. At least for a film where a stuffed toy has a human girlfriend and
narration by Patrick Stewart reveals strong opinions about “Superman Returns.”
“Ted” is a little too long for such a thin premise and a supporting turn by Joel
McHale (as Lori’s lecherous boss) is stunningly lame, but the majority of the
feature finds a comfort zone between crudeness and playfulness that sustains
through most of the picture. MacFarlane isn’t exactly taxing his creative
muscles with “Ted,” but as a baby-step transition from television to film goes,
it’s one of the more consistently engaging efforts to come around in some time. |
