Ted is a funny movie. I laughed. I laughed a lot actually. Unfortunately, Ted was also incredibly disappointing. When it comes to movie/entertainment, you win some and you lose some but in this case, I'd say Ted is more of a draw.
So Ted is the story of a magic teddy bear and his best friend John who've been pals/"thunder buddies" for close to 27 years. John may be 35 but thanks to his enchanted, foul mouthed, weed smoking, trouble making friend, he still acts like a dumb ass kid. His girlfriend (Mila Kunis) gets tired of his crap and now he's got to choose between her or Ted.
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| Whaddya mean disappointed?!? |
First, Seth MacFarlane is a funny guy. I'm sure if we ever hung out/had lunch or something we'd laugh our asses off (and he'd pick up the tab, naturally). That being said, he's just not all that original. I had HOPED that Ted would be like a fresh start for MacFarlene. I wondered what he would do with 2 hours and an R-rating, what kind of wild, fucked up magic carpet ride would he take us on now that he was free from the confines of prime time television. Well, I was wrong. Ted isn't MacFarlene breaking new ground. Instead, it's like a 2 hour version of Family Guy. Some people might be happy with that and I'm sure if I was still 17 years old I would be also, but sadly, I just expected more.
Don't get me wrong, Ted is still a wildly funny movie...I just don't know how it will fare in repeat viewings. The problem I have with Ted (and Family Guy for that matter) is that it relies to heavily on pop culture/zeitgeist gags for it's humor. Ted is instantly gratifying and funny right now, but will zings at Katie Perry and Taylor Lautner really be funny down the road? Ted relies on nostalgia/references to other things for it's laughs, rather than being funny in it's own right. You need to understand the Star Wars, Knight Rider, Alf and Flash Gordon nods to fully appreciate the film's gags. But then what? This type of humor wanes quickly. Not like comedies such as Friday, Something About Marry, or last year's Crazy Stupid Love, that really on situational humor/plot for it's big laughs and will easily stand the test of time. Sure I laughed my ass off watching Ted in the theater, problem is, the weak plot and random pop culture zaniness that's ruined Family Guy, has already left me tired it.
Very good review. I am yet to watch this movie but Ted kinda sounded like stuffed guy version of Stewie from the trailer, but you never know.
ReplyDeleteYour review is confusing and not answering whether "to watch or not to watch", I think I will go for "To watch". :)
I'll give it a go, I need a laugh!
ReplyDeleteI won't lie man, I hate Family Guy to the core and think it's trash television at it's finest but this still is a really well written review. For the first bit of Ted it looks like a really good romantic movie but as soon as Ted runs in and they sing that stupid thunder song, it loses it's credibility with me very quickly. I guess it's the kind of film that I'd go to see and laugh pretty hard at at the time but I'd feel terrible for enjoying it after leaving haha, good post man.
ReplyDeleteSo this is the Ted I've been hearing so much about? I wouldn't be that surprised if I saw something by Seth and it eventually turned out to be just like Family Guy. I think it's all he knows and can do now. It would be nice if he came up with some thing seriously original, but I'm not sure it can happen.
ReplyDeleteSure it will be worth a watch sometimes, I feel the same way about Family Guy, they just take the same joke and blatantly beat it into the ground for 22 minutes.
ReplyDeletethanks for the review. i guess it's good enough for at least one viewing. :)
ReplyDeleteIt wasnt the best movie ever but it did have me laughing the entire damn time!
ReplyDeleteI really can't wait to see this. Almost every review I've read has been excellent.
ReplyDeleteYeeah, I saw this. I pretty much agree with what you say, except that it's exactly what I was expecting. I laughed a few times, sure.. but meh. You know what was terrible? There was a particular scene that I laughed at.. and as soon as I laughed I felt dirty because I'd already seen it before. He stole a joke and made it less funny. (link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLQWPgQMHhQ )
ReplyDeleteJust gotta wonder.. how many other jokes did he rip without me even realizing? How terrible should I feel that I didn't notice?
Excellent, I've been wanting to hear a fellow blogger's thoughts on this movie. Anyway, from your review this movie sounds exactly like I thought it would be, just like Family Guy, lol.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'll rent it
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd enjoy Ted
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