TED | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

"TED"
(2012) (Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis) (R)

QUICK TAKE:: Comedy: A 35-year-old man repeatedly allows his friendship with his self-aware and fully alive teddy bear from his childhood to get in the way of his relationship with his longtime girlfriend.

PLOT:

John Bennett (MARK WAHLBERG) is a 35-year-old car rental employee who long ago wished that a teddy bear he received at the age of eight would come alive. The wish came true and ever since then John and Ted (voice of SETH MacFARLANE) have been inseparable. That's something of a growing sore point for John's live-in girlfriend, Lori Collins (MILA KUNIS), who's put up with this unique situation for the past four years.

For while Ted was once something of a national celebrity -- what with being a talking and opinionated teddy bear -- he's now a crass and profane sort who has no problem repeatedly convincing John to be a slacker and drink beer and get high with him. That hasn't been lost on Lori's rich boss, Rex (JOEL McHALE), who thinks he can convince her to dump John and start dating him.

Someone else who has sights on getting their hands on someone is Donny (GIOVANNI RIBISI), a deranged and creepy father who wants to kidnap Ted for the enjoyment of his son, Robert (AEDIN MINCKS), even if Ted isn't your typical cute and cuddly teddy bear, what with his foul mouth, substance abuse and a sexual relationship with his white trash quasi girlfriend, Tami-Lynn (JESSICA BARTH).

As that plays out, Lori give John an ultimatum of choosing between her and Ted, a predicament where John knows the right thing to do, but can't easily forgo his longtime friendship with his special friend.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Older teens and those who are fans of Seth MacFarlane probably will, while the talking teddy bear angle might be enticing for younger kids.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R: For crude and sexual content, pervasive language, and some drug use.

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