By Ashley Keyes

Ted is a movie that is rich in originality, charm and inappropriate jokes. The story follows John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), who begins as a lonely little boy with no friends. After wishing on a star, he wakes to find his teddy bear, Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarelane), has come to life and the two make a promise to be best friends for life. Apparently they keep that promise, because 27 years later Ted is still there, living with John and his girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis)—only now the cuddly friend has become a nuisance to their relationship. When Lori gives John an ultimatum, her or the bear, John makes some decisions that radically alter the group’s lives.
Ted is scattered with an abundance of laugh worthy moments, while most are inappropriate and over the top. Some may find the jokes shocking and offensive, but not all of the jokes cross the line– some merely play jump rope with it. However, Ted is not all jokes and fun. It has its share of heart wrenching instants and also those full of drama and suspense. John is torn between the two most important constants in his life, and it is a hard decision that the audience will find easy to relate to, even if they don’t have an enchanted teddy bear.
While Ted is an enjoyable movie and a decent way to spend two hours, it is about 20 minutes too long. There are a lot of separate plots throughout the movie, not all necessary to the whole point, and some parts could have been shortened significantly. By slimming the movie just a bit, it may have made the end product smoother and easier to take in.
Overall, Ted is a unique movie with a fresh story that many will appreciate. It emphasizes the importance of friendship in a fun way and it is definitely worth a shot.

Our rating: 3.5 stars

Director: Seth MacFarelane

MPAA rating: R

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