Seth MacFarlane’s Ted Looks to be Comedic Masterpiece

With the plethora of movie channels I get with tv, I can usually satisfy my cinema cravings without a trip to the movie theater. However, I won’t be waiting for the upcoming comedy film, Ted, to be released on DVD. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Seth MacFarlane, Ted looks like an instant gut-busting classic.

The movie follows John Bennett (Mark Walhberg), a 30-something middle-class Bostonian whose stuffed teddy bear comes to life as a result of a childhood wish. The foul-mouthed bear, Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), becomes best friends with John, but their relationship becomes strained when John’s love interest, Lori (Mila Kunis), enters the picture.

MacFarlane, the creator of FOX’s animated comedy show Family Guy, gets to bring his unique, often offensive brand of humor to the silver screen for the first time. As the writer, director, producer and voice actor, MacFarlane’s comic imprint will be all over Ted, which I’m really excited about.  Just the notion of a talking stuffed animal, let alone a beer-guzzling, insult-spewing teddy bear, attempting to coexist with humans makes me chuckle.

The only thing I don’t really like about the movie is that MacFarlane uses the same voice for Ted as he does for Peter Griffin, the main protagonist in Family Guy. Peter Griffin’s voice – the thick New England accent, the trademark bellowing laugh – is unmistakable and a staple of the Family Guy series.  Using this voice to portray Ted detracts somewhat from the character’s uniqueness, as the viewers will constantly be reminded of Peter.

Overall, I’m sold on Ted – and that’s saying a lot. There aren’t many movies that motivate me to spend 20 bucks on a ticket, a bag of popcorn and a Milky Way at the theater, but Ted looks so funny that I can’t wait to get to the box office.