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.
