Movie Preview: Ted

Now, I can admit when I am wrong.

After seeing the commercials for this one, I will admit to dismissing it, assuming that it was cliché and corny. A teddy bear that somehow comes to life, and becomes a sarcastic bad ass type.

On some level, this is true. Yet, the movie offers much more than that.

The story begins in a small suburban town in Massachusetts , outside of Boston . There is a kid named John Bennett, who feels completely alone. None of the other kids like or respect him, and all poor John wants is a single friend, and he swears he would hold onto that friend for life.

One Christmas, he gets a teddy bear as a gift, and he really enjoys it. It is a talking bear, and says "I love you" in a sweet little voice whenever you press on button in his chest. But John wants more and, one night, he makes a wish that the bear would suddenly come to life, and be his best friend.

Of course, the wish is granted, and the bear comes alive. Everyone is startled and even scared at first, but before too long, he catches on. The stuffed animal, named Ted, captures the imagination of the entire nation! He becomes a celebrity, and everyone is fascinated by him. He goes on the Johnny Carson Show, and everyone wants to get to know the living teddy bear. It seems he is on top of the world.

But it is short lived. Before too long, he is forgotten, and it is just him and John, once again. They both grow up, and are still best friends.

The problem is that John has a girlfriend that he is in a serious relationship with of around four years, and she sees John spending so much time with Ted as a hindrance to John's life. She sees herself attached to a 35 year old man who still spends entirely too much time with a teddy bear that does not allow him to grow up and take more responsibility in his life, and she begins to push him to distance himself from Ted.

Ted, in the meantime, has become an overgrown teddy bear, of sorts. He does not own a job or have any responsibilities, but in every other sense, he is a very typical adult male. His New England accent fits well and adds to the feel of the movie. He struggles to create an identity for himself, but even as he manages to move out and find his own place, he and John see each other everyday, and cannot seem to put any distance between one another.

One thing that they have a peculiar interest in is the old Flash Gordon movie. It is even acknowledged that it is a bad movie (but so good!), yet they both seem completely taken by it. So, when Ted is hosting a party at one point, and who should show up but Sam Jones, of course Ted instantly calls John. John has been obsessed with Flash Gordon since childhood, so there is no way he is missing this, but the problem is, he is already at a prior engagement, a party that his girlfriend's boss is hosting, and which John has absolutely agreed to attend. He goes to Ted's place, with the idea of just going in and out, to meet Flash Gordon.

But, of course, it does not go quite that way. He gets carried away, tries cocaine for the first time in his life, and loses pretty much all sense of control, setting up a crisis with the girlfriend, who is not pleased.

In the meantime, Ted feels bad and tries to get the couple back together, but finds himself in trouble personally, when he is captured by an obsessed fan and his son.

Of course, the story line is there mostly to allow this comedy to flourish, and for the most part, it does. It was much funnier than I thought (I'll admit to assuming this was going to be very cliché and corny, with the image of a teddy bear beating up Mark Wahlberg as the major selling point on the commercials really not seeming all that enticing).

Wahlberg and Mila Kundis worked well together in this movie, and made the romance believable. Of course, Seth MacFarlane as the voice of Ted worked trmendously, as well, and probably helped to really make this movie.

When I heard from some people that it was a very funny movie, and even heard a couple of people claim it was the funniest movie that they had ever seen, I was a bit skeptical, but it was enough to pique my curiosity. Still, I did not expect to be pleasantly surprised.

However, it really is a pretty funny movie. There is, predictably, a lot of sexual references, and some of them are pretty damn funny!