ted - 6 stars out of 10

ted - 6 stars out of 10

"ted" is a one-of-a-kind film.  It boasts one of the most unique concepts of any movie that I have ever seen and one of the smartest comedy scripts that I have ever heard.  It is a shame that Seth MacFarlane had to lace it with so much offensive language that it is nearly unwatchable.  If he would've limited the dialogue to TV-MA standards like he does with Family Guy, this could have become one of my favorite comedies; however, the open invitation to use the f-word and other taboo words as many times as he wanted muddied this comedic adventure into a shock-fest of "What other terrible things can we make this teddy bear say?"  That being said, the storyline is very clever, the pop culture references were sparse enough that they didn't get old, and the theater burst into an extensive uproar of laughter after many of the jokes.  But for me, the thing that I cannot get over is how darn impressive the computer animation is throughout this entire film.  The animation is so vivid that you will just accept that this teddy bear is real and was on the set with the other characters.  The opening credits are genius, dispelling the skeptics from wondering if the bear is like Stewie Griffin and some people can hear him talk but others can't.  It also establishes that everybody knows that he exists and that it isn't some huge secret from society.  It really does deserve some sort of award for best special effects, as this is probably the most realistic and believable CGI that I have ever seen.  In addition to the smart script and impressive special effects, it appears that MacFarlane called in dozens of favors to his Family Guy cast and Hollywood friends as everybody appears in this film, including but not limited to Alex Borstein, Ralph Garman, Giovanni Ribisi (as the creepy kidnapper), Patrick Warburton, Tom Skerritt, Norah Jones, Ryan Reynolds, Sam Jones (Flash Gordon), Joel McHale, Alec Baldwin, and Patrick Stewart (as the Narrator).  And that list doesn't include Mark Wahlberg who embraces this comical lead and Mila Kunis who once again proves herself as a legitimate actress.  The best part is that all of these stars have an excellent (though ridiculous) script that allows them to really go over the top.  Even as it approaches the 2-hour mark, this story never gets stale as many layers of the story and characters are explored.  Unfortunately, instead of mentioning any of these positive aspects, my first words upon exiting the theater were "Wow, that was incredibly offensive."  I hope that they find a way to edit "ted" for tv someday.  The story is great and the comedy is smart, but it is unBEARable to watch this teddy bear do drugs and use foul language, getting in the way of the heartwarming story that is hiding in the background.