Ted [MA]

8 year-old John Bennett has always been unlucky in making friends. But that changes when he is given a teddy bear for Christmas and his Christmas wish for it to be alive comes true. Since then, John and Ted have been inseparable friends, but their friendship begins to change when it becomes clear that John cannot be a man when Ted is around. 

The first motion picture from Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, comes this fresh and original story about life, friendship, and what it means to grow up. I laughed, I teared up, all in all I found Ted to be a great little movie, easy to enjoy and nice and light. 

8 year-old John Bennett has always been unlucky in making friends. But that changes when he is given a teddy bear for Christmas and his Christmas wish for it to be alive comes true. Since then, John and Ted have been inseparable friends, but their friendship begins to change when it becomes clear that John cannot be a man when Ted is around. 

The basic story of Ted is great; wholly original and it flows very smoothly, naturally opening doors for deeper interpretation. Obviously the central theme of the movie is friendship, but it does also delve into some deeper and sometimes more sinister themes about the psyche as well as puts forward some very strong points and questions about maturity and what it means to be a man. I also loved the fact that, on the surface, it’s a buddy picture, but it does have this slightly more sinister story that creeps into the mix, which incidentally brings about the climactic emotional drama that made tears spring to my eyes. 

Another notable thing about this movie is its sincerity, which is achieved through the performances of its cast. Both the central leads, Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, delivered performances that really made this movie special because it made the out-of-the-normal concept of a living teddy bear seem completely natural and not weird in the slightest, thereby giving the character of Ted a strength that was on par with or maybe even stronger than his human co-stars. Everything about this movie felt completely natural, which I thought was really special and set it apart considering what the movie’s about. 

Starring Mark Walhberg, Mila Kunis, Joel McHale, Giovanni Ribisi, Matt Walsh, Jessica Barth, Aedin Mincks, Patrick Warburton, and Seth MacFarlane as Ted, Ted was a great buddy movie that was filled with comedy, drama, romance, immaturity, and friendship. I really loved it.