Based on his success alone, it’s obvious that Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is good at what he does – irreverent animation. My worry with Ted has been MacFarlane’s ability to work live-action, a worry that I never should have had. Ted is right up his alley and exactly what everyone should expect from him – only without the constraints of the FCC.
Ted opens with the back story of its two central characters – a friendless boy and his inanimate stuffed teddy bear, Ted (voiced by MacFarlane). When little John makes a holiday wish for his bear to come to life, everything changes for the better – for a while, at least.
Now at the age of 35, John (Mark Wahlberg) is torn. His best friend stuffed animal is a vulgar, pot-smoking, sex-addicted bad influence that his long-time girlfriend (Mila Kunis) want out of their lives. She wants a real man, not a kid with a bear.
Imagine a crude R-rated live-action version of Family Guy that’s been infused with even more pop culture and offensive content and that’s what you’re getting with Ted. It may drag a little in the end and suffer from tonal inconsistencies, but it’s still a worthy comedy – that is, if you can stomach the crude content.
Photo credit: Universal
