Film review: Ted (R13)

A buddy movie with a twist, Ted follows John (Wahlberg) and Ted (MacFarlane) as they go through the trouble of mixing best friends with girlfriends.

Starring: Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter), Mila Kunis (Friends with Benefits), the voice of Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy).
Directed by: Seth MacFarlane.
Screening: Reading Cinemas Queenstown, Friday to Sunday 9pm, Wednesday 3.30pm, 6pm.

John and Lori (Kunis) are the perfect couple, but Ted's influence on John is too much for Lori to take. Ted is a failed celebrity with a dead-end job who cannot stop drinking, smoking and dragging John down with him.

Although Ted might look original, it's definitely not unfamiliar territory for MacFarlane. As the writer and creator of Family Guy, he has given us a baby with a penchant for violence, an alcoholic dog and now a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear.

So while the premise is reliable, the biggest task faced is whether his unique style translates to the big screen. It does.

Wahlberg and Kunis shine, and are well complimented by Joel McHale (Community) and Giovanni Ribisi (The Rum Diary).

Visually, the computer imagery work on Ted even puts Avatar to shame, not in realism, but in interaction.

Leave your expectations at the door. This is not as controversial as Family Guy, or even its own trailer, but it is a very good, laugh-a-minute film.

By Christopher Clement Walker.

 

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