Why So Blu?

Ted (Blu-ray Review)

A foul-mouthed, hard-partying teddy bear and his 35-year-old best friend come together in the #1 comedy of the year, Ted, available on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand on December 11, 2012, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.  Directed by Seth MacFarlane, creator of television’s uproarious and irreverent hits “Family Guy,” and “American Dad,” Ted stars Mark Wahlberg (Contraband, The Other Guys), Mila Kunis (Friends with Benefits, Black Swan),  Joel McHale (“Community”), Giovanni Ribisi (Contraband, Avatar) and Seth MacFarlane as the voice of Ted.  The film’s all-star cast also includes “Family Guy” favorites Jessica Barth, Alex Borstein, Ralph Garman and Patrick Warburton, as well as Sam Jones (Flash Gordon), Multi-Grammy Award-winning recording artist Norah Jones and newcomer Brett Manley.  When I saw Ted in the theater, I gave the film a 4.5/5.  I’ve yet to award a 5/5 so a 4.5 is pretty rare coming from me.  Many people agreed it was a good film but were surprised how high I rated the film.  Sometimes, you just love a movie and I happened to love a movie about a foul mouthed talking teddy bear and his pot smoking best friend, and I still do.

Film  

Ted is still a 4-4.5 range movie but I’ll go ahead and knock it down to a 4/5 because it does lose a little something after your first viewing. I had the same reaction to Cabin in the Woods.  It’s still a great movie, but it’s just never the same after you know what to expect.  In this live action/CG-animated comedy, MacFarlane tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish…and has refused to leave his side ever since.

Patrick Stewart provides the film’s opening narration and he still cracks me up.  Young John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) has no friends.  There are the bullies and even the kid that gets beat up by the bullies doesn’t want to play with John.  He gets a Teddy Bear as a Christmas gift, one that says “I Love You” when you squeeze his belly.  John makes a wish that the bear could really talk and the next morning, the bear – Ted, is alive.  John and Ted vow to be best friends and thunder buddies for life. After his parents get over the initial shock, Ted is introduced to the world and becomes somewhat of a celebrity.

Fast forward and John is an adult.  He has a beautiful girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis) but spends a significant amount of time smoking pot and hanging out with Ted.  John works at a car rental agency and appears to have no real ambition or drive. Lori is a successful career woman whose boss (Joel McHale) hits on her frequently.  John is still afraid of thunder and is content to hang with his best friend.  Eventually, Lori wants to move on with their lives and that means Ted must move out.  John still spends enormous amounts of time with Ted, even leaving a party at his boss’s house when Ted calls.  In John’s defense, the actor who played Flash Gordon (their favorite movie) has arrived at Ted’s party.  Giovanni Ribisi plays a weird and creepy guy who had a messed up childhood and now wants to give Ted to his overweight and  equally strange son.  John refuses, Ted refuses and the creepy guy doesn’t take no for an answer.  He kidnaps Ted and at that point John and Lori realize how important Ted is to both of them.

Ted’s humor is very low brow.  That doesn’t mean it’s not funny though.  Being directed by Seth MacFarlane, it’s full of very “Family Guyish” humor and I’d definitely recommend it to the show’s fans.  The jokes all around are silly and, in my opinion, hilarious. The casting is excellent.  Patrick Stewart is the perfect narrator and I can’t imagine anyone but Giovanni Ribisi playing his role.  Mark Wahlberg playing a stoner from Boston is not much of an acting stretch but it all works.  It’s a little hard to not think of Peter Griffin when you hear Ted’s adult voice but you get used to it.  The unrated version is not significantly different from the rated version but the humor is a little more crude – just a little.  ”Family Guy’s” Seth MacFarlane directed and provided the voice for Ted.  I am a fan of “Family Guy” but never expected Ted to be so funny. Everything about this movie made me laugh and I easily overlooked the slightly lame romantic comedy sub plot.  Viewers will probably either love or hate this movie but I come down solidly in the camp that loves it.

Video  

Ted is presented on Blu-ray in 1080p high definition with a widescreen 1.85:1 ratio.  There’s a nice amount of detail present as Ted’s fur, Wahlberg’s stubble, and other details are easily apparent. Colors look accurate but slightly muted but overall it’s still pretty good.  Skin tones are realistic and even, and the black levels are dark and solid.  There aren’t any blemishes or defects to report and I had no major complaints for this film.

Audio  

Ted’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track contains clear and consistent dialogue throughout.  The audio levels between the live action scenes are at the same level as Ted’s character which isn’t always the case in other films.  There really isn’t much ambiance in the film and the rear channels don’t get much to do.  Ted’s sound effects were minimal and this is a dialogue, and laugh, driven film.

Extras  

The Blu-ray contains a decent collection of special features, including my favorite – the gag reel.  Deleted scenes, alternate takes and the teddy bear scuffle are Blu-ray exclusives.

• Deleted Scenes – A lengthy list of deleted scenes can be played individually or with the play all feature. Most were interesting to watch but would not have added much significance to the film.
• Alternate Takes – Alternate versions of some funny one liners are found in this special feature, which is funnier than I expected.
• Teddy Bear Scuffle – A look at Mark Wahlberg’s fight with an imaginary bear.
• Gag Reel – Screw up and jokes from the cast.
• Feature Commentary – Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin and Mark Wahlberg provide commentary on the theatrical version of the film. Learning about Seth MacFarlane’s first direction of non-animated actors was more interesting than I expected and I enjoyed the commentary overall.

Summary  

The second time around, Ted is still an extremely funny film. Still one of my favorites of all time and it’s not ruined when you know the jokes. The second time around I caught a few I missed the first time. It’s got bear sex, fart jokes and other such amusement. It’s not going to be for everyone, and surprisingly, it is for me. Mila Kunis is a great choice as the girlfriend. For some reason I feel like she would date a guy who is friends with a bear.

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