Review: Ted, (U) (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Review: Ted, (U)

4:59pm Friday 3rd August 2012 in Opinion

THE teddy bear remains a potent symbol of childhood innocence.

Ted is a deliciously foul-mouthed comedy that employs the magic of digital trickery to bring to life one rotund stuffed bear as a buddy for a lonely boy.

Child and toy become inseparable and the furry scamp and his human owner embark on a series of deranged and debauched misadventures that fully justify the film’s 15 certificate It’s a simple premise - essentially a live action version of Toy Story — albeit with the eponymous bear accepted as a talking, skirt-chasing entity by everyone he encounters.

Writer-director Seth MacFarlane has great fun with his real and virtual characters and sticks up two fingers to political correctness.

“Here is the story of a little boy and his magical wish that changed his life forever,” intones the droll narrator (Patrick Stewart), who transports us back to Christmas 1985, when John Bennett (Bretton Manley) stares adoringly at his favourite teddy and whispers, “I wish you could talk. Then we could be friends forever and ever.”

A shooting star passes overhead and the next morning John introduces Ted (voiced by MacFarlane) to his dumbfounded parents.

Fast-forwarding to the present day, John (Mark Wahlberg) has a beautiful girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis).

When their anniversary dinner ends in a fractious discussion about priorities, John responds by asking his best buddy to move out of the apartment and stand on his own two paws.

DAMON SMITH

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