I've never been a fan of Family Guy. Not when it first started as a sorta knock off of The Simpsons, nor when fans revived it from cancellation and creator Seth McFarlane really started to hit his stride. The few times I've watched the show it has proven to be the rare mix of lowbrow humor with just enough wit to satisfy everybody, and the targets of McFarlane's considerable comedic(and general) genius were wide and varied. Yet it still never really stuck with me in a way that made it "must see" viewing.
And now McFarlane is taking his insane amount of success and directing it at the silver screen with Ted, a hard R-rated comedy that basically looks like Family Guy with real people and one CG-animated teddy bear, voiced by McFarlane himself, of course. Mark Wahlberg plays John, a guy who wants to settle down with Lori(Mila Kunis), the love of his life. The only problem is John's best friend, a pot smokin', sexually explicit(blow job and anal humor abound) stuffed teddy bear named Ted who keeps getting in the way. The graphic jokes are to be expected considering McFarlane wrote the script as well as making his directorial debut, but it's Wahlberg who appears to be the real stand out. He's at his best when cutting loose and playing off his tough guy persona. While there doesn't appear to be anything revolutionary here, Ted may turn out to be a solid comedic effort when it debuts on July 13th.
Check out the red band trailer below, but do it from the comfort of your own home....
