Ted (2012)

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nTitle: Ted (2012)

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nDirector: Seth McFarlane

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nCast: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth McFarlane, GiovanninRibisi, Sam J. Jones  

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nReview:

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nWhen Ted was first released in theaters, I totally ignorednit because I thought it was going to be a stupid movie, a one trick pony about anTeddy bear doing all sorts of obscene stuff. And while it was that, it was alsonmuch more than that and I’m sorry I missed this super funny movie in theaters,nI totally underestimated, my bad.  Still,nI managed to laugh just as much in the comfort of my home and so I’m here tonsay that if like me you thought Ted was going to be a sucky movie and haven’tnseen it yet, then give it a chance, you’re missing out on a truly funny movie.

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nStory is all about this kid named John who is a social outcast;nhis class mates make fun of him and he is lonely most of the time, which is whynhe ends up talking to his teddy bear. Like many kids at that age, when they gotnno friends, they make up one. One night, John wishes upon a star. His wish isnthat Teddy would be real, so he could talk to him like a real person. To hisnsurprise, his wish comes true; his Teddy bear has come to life! Fast forwardnthirty years and John is now an adult and his Teddy bear still talks! In fact,nJohn and Ted are best buds, they smoke weed, drink and party together. They areninseparable.  Problem is that John’sngirlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis) wants’ more out of their relationship and givesnJohn and ultimatum: her or Ted.

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nThe most relevant thing about Ted are the themes it plays with. Yeahnwe have a little Teddy smoking weed and cursing like a sailor, but at its core Tednis a movie about growing up, leaving behind childish comfort zones and facing responsibilitiesnhead on. Sometimes, people don’t want to face the often times overbearingnresponsibilities of adult hood. Some would just rather party all the time, likenthat stupid ass  Eddie Murphy song. Tonsome, responsibilities loom heavily on the horizon, threatening to end all theirnfun in life, so they ignore them and party as much as they can. Problem is that,nif you don’t face these responsibilities and ignore them instead, then you’renhiding away from growing up, you remain a child forever, hence the term “PeternPan Syndrome” a term commonly used in the world of psychiatry for people whonjust don’t want to grow up. These are people who are afraid to face anythingnthat threatens their comfort zone. They don’t want to hear their parents, girlfriend,nor friends telling them to “do something with your life”. Basically, peoplenlike this shun away anything that questions or threatens anything in theirncomfort zone. People who suffer from this state of mind, shun the rest of thenworld because they don’t want to face it, they feel inadequate facing othersnwho have moved on with their lives.

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nJohn, the character played by Mark Wahlberg isn’t so farndown the rabbit whole, he’s at least managed to get himself a beautifulngirlfriend played by Mila Kunis, and he wants to become an adult even though henis already 35 years old. He has fallen into that gutter where your life isnessentially going nowhere. But his girl is willing to give him a chance, andnJohn at least demonstrates a desire to stand up for himself and become a man; whichnof course includes one of the biggest responsibilities imposed by society onnany human being: marriage! The ultimate compromise! Can John grow up, getnmarried and become a man? That all depends on him leaving his child like thingsnbehind, his comfort zones which include smoking weed, drinking like a mad mannand watching movies. The problem with these things is not that John does them,nit’s that they are the only things he does with his life. It’s all about thatndelicate balancing act, work hard and then you can party hard. But it can’t allnbe party! John at least admits that he is 35 and “going nowhere”. So this is anmovie about a man who has to stop wasting his life away. The problem is Ted thentalking Teddy bear. This little talking Teddy represents that friend that doesn’tnwant to stop partying, the facilitator of mirth, the one that always calls younup to hang out and party like there’s no tomorrow. According to the film, thisntype of friend can be detrimental to a person, because they are the kind ofnfriends who won’t let you move on with their lives, who will drag you down withnthem into their own neverland.  

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nBut you have to admit; sometimes a good party has a strongnpull! And in this film the party is not only filled with babes, drugs andnalcohol, it also counts with the presence of Sam J. Jones, the actor who playednFlash Gordon (“Quarter Back, New York Jets!”) in Mike Hodges’s Flash Gordon (1980)! This was the coolest joke innthe movie for me because I am a fan of that particular Flash Gordon film, it’snso campy, so flashy, so cheesy, but oh so very fun! Thing is that this FlashnGordon joke is a running gag throughout the whole freaking movie so I wasnlaughing like a mad man every step of the way. Take it from me; if you’re a fannof that Flash Gordon film, with Queen singing “Flash! AaaAaaaaa he’ll saveneveryone one of us!” then you are in for a special treat with Ted.

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nTed can be categorized as a “guy’s film” which is basicallynthe kind of movie a guy will want to play for all his buds in his man cave,ndrinking beers and eating pizza, though woman can also identify with the filmnsince it is a woman that is pushing John to make all these changes in his life.nThe theme of commitment in a relationship is also one that women will findninteresting. Though if they want to see the female verison of this film, then I urge them to check out Young Adult (2011) starring Charleze Theron which plays with similar themes but from a females point of view. Word of warning to those who can’t take a raunchy jokes, the filmndoes indulge into its fare share of vulgar jokes that I’m sure many will findnoffensive, but again, Gene Simmons definition of success shines through:  “offend as many people as possible”.  This film might have had a Teddy Bear smokingnweed, drinking beers and attempting to have sex (even though he has no penis!),nyet still, the film went on to make more than 500 million dollars at the boxnoffice! So a ‘congratulations’ is in order for first time director SethnMcFarlane. Making such a huge hit his first time out is always something good,nlet’s see if he can duplicate it with his next one, which no doubt we will benseeing sometime soon. I’m sure the success of Ted has Hollywood knocking on hisndoor as I type this.

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nRating:  5 out of 5 

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