'Ted' review: Outrageously vulgar and funny
This film image released by Universal Pictures shows Mark Wahlberg, left, with the character Ted, voiced by Seth MacFarlane in a scene from "Ted." Credit: AP
The story of a grown man still attached to his magically talking teddy bear, "Ted" is a throwback to high-concept charmers like "Big" and "Splash," only with more profanity and bowel-movement jokes (and without Tom Hanks). It's frequently very funny, as you might expect from its writer, director and co-star, Seth MacFarlane, creator of Fox's "Family Guy." What's unexpected is that underneath the matted fur of the movie's foul-mouthed bear beats a very real heart.
The banter between Wahlberg and MacFarlane is hilarious -- they're like a low-class Abbott and Costello -- if a little familiar after years of Judd Apatow comedies. But MacFarlane's first feature film also avoids some genre pitfalls. Lori isn't a nagging killjoy; Ted is a real character, not just a symbol; and John seems genuinely torn between the two. This may sound silly, but the two humans and one bear make a pretty convincing dramatic triangle.
The drawbacks are a throwaway plot involving a bear-napper (Giovanni Ribisi) and way too many 1980s references for one movie (in addition to an appearance by Sam Jones, of "Flash Gordon" fame, there are jokes about Frankie Munoz, Tiffany, "Top Gun" and other memes). Still, any comedy that makes you actually feel something for a bear with a hooker habit has something going for it.
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