This story of a talking toy and a boy is very Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin, but Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane has taken it a step further, going beyond the innocence of childhood and delivering a down-and-dirty modern twist in his feature film directorial debut, Ted.

Breaking the rules of a family-friendly fantasy and going into overtime is actually pretty funny. The jarring novelty of a teddy bear behaving like a debauched grown man and the solutions to inadequacies leave room for great comedy. However, most of the imaginative and funny stuff is done in the opening montage as we’re caught up to speed with John and his best friend, Ted, in later life.

McFarlane’s dealing with that awkward man boy phase when guys try to grow up and stop doing childish things… it happens I’m told. John (Wahlberg) is in that head space, facing an ultimatum from his longtime girlfriend Lori (Kunis) and forced to man up and take life more seriously. The problem is his bromance with Ted… the furry little guy who’s been his wing man since, well, Wings.

Seth McFarlane’s animated TV show Family Guy makes even The Simpsons blush. Ted features the same sort of raw, irreverent, no punches pulled shock comedy that made Family Guy a smash hit. Yet, all the potty mouth language, hedonistic binging and lack of morality is coming from a cuddly, furry teddy bear. Yes, the bear can swear. This is Ted’s running joke… something that becomes tedious as the “look Mom, it’s a talking bear” humour runs dry.

“Flipping the bird in bed… bearly legal.”

Once Ted’s one trick pony has been laid to rest, the filmmakers have the cheek to lean on the formula of the genre they have blown apart in an effort to instill a sense of redemption for the magical title character and his man boy. The movie is constantly trying to find a sense of genre identity as it upends the family fantasy for rough stoner comedy only for a last ditch drunken booty call when things aren’t quite working out.

Mark Wahlberg delivers an above-average nice guy performance as John, wrestling with adult responsibilities and making some pretty tough decisions in the process. Seth McFarlane voices Ted… giving the foul-mouthed furry critter some comedic clout and unleashing one or two guilty chuckles in the process. While Mila Kunis is the romantic interest, taking on another concept “romcom” character similar to Friends with Benefits.

Ted’s animation is excellent, giving presence and life to the stuffed toy. The science-fiction “spoof” Paul animated an alien character voiced by Seth Rogen and they’ve managed to do something very similar in Ted. Both films incorporate an animated title character and adopt a risque brand of comedy, which lead to a similar pay-off in terms of entertainment and overall appeal.

Unfortunately, Ted is one of those “all the best bits were in the trailer” type of movies and his stuffed little legs don’t have what it takes to finish strong. It’s the sort of half-ass adult bromance script that could have been written without the concept in mind, only to make it slightly funnier by covering the degenerate buddy in fur. Chucking in a psychotic fan in Giovanni Ribisi just seems like a throwaway subplot, but it stays because Ribisi’s character is probably the funniest thing in Ted.

Unlike most teddy bears, Ted doesn’t sit well. The storyline stitching comes undone by relying on formulaic detours when it loses the plot. The stuffing is just pure nonsense, done in poor taste and lacking imagination. The performances are perfunctory to average, forming a platform for Ted to run amok. While Ted started as a great idea, it just goes overboard in much the same way as Hall Pass did with very little to redeem itself.

The bottom line: Misfire

Release Date: 24 August, 2012
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