This Summer, Universal’s raunchy comedy Ted surprised everyone by becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of 2012 and the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy ever (per Box Office Mojo). Today, you can bring the talking teddy bear home on Blu-ray and DVD. Read my full review after the break.
Seth MacFarlane, who co-wrote and directed the film, provides the voice for Ted, a teddy bear that came to life in 1985 when a young John Bennett wished for it on Christmas. Ted became instantly famous, but eventually no one really cared anymore. Now John (played by Mark Wahlberg) is in his mid 30s and lives with his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis), but he is still best friends with Ted. Unfortunately, that means he hasn’t grown up, as he hangs out Ted drinking beer and smoking marijuana. This comes to the head when John is forced to make Ted move out in order to save his relationship with Lori.
Most of the film deals with this three-way dynamic, while also adding a plot twist that takes us to a darker and more serious climax. This may be MacFarlane’s only flaw in his feature film directing and writing debut. The juxtaposition of the buddy/romantic comedy with this darker action-based climax is a bit jarring, but we know MacFarlane has a pension for mixing it up in his animated shows like Family Guy. Otherwise, the comedy is almost perfect, especially for Family Guy fans like myself. Seeing a cute teddy bear swear, drink, smoke, and even fornicate brings more laughs than you’d expect.
The Blu-ray comes with some great features, including behind-the-scenes footage to show you how they got that bear to look and act so real. If you’re looking for a gift for a friend that loves adult humor and nostalgia, this is the perfect choice.
Blu-ray and DVD Bonus Features:
Ted Unrated Version
Gag Reel
Ted – The Making Of: Profiling the story of the film from inception to completion, this three-part documentary is filled with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage showcasing the entire cast and crew.
Feature Commentary: Director and co-writer Seth MacFarlane, co-writer Alec Sulkin and star Mark Wahlberg participate.
Bonus Features Exclusive to the Blu-ray
Deleted Scenes
Alternate Takes
Teddy Bear Scuffle: Watch how the filmmakers choreograph the awesome and hilarious Motel 6 fight scene between Mark Wahlberg and Ted.
UltraViolet™: The revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows, store them in the cloud, and instantly stream and download to TV’s, computers, tablets and smartphones. Consumers can now truly enjoy their movies and TV shows anytime, anywhere on the platform of their choice. Currently available in the Unites States as well as Canada.
Digital Copy: Viewers can redeem a digital version of the movie from a choice of retail partners to watch on an array of electronics and portable devices including computers, iPad®, iPhone®, iPod™ touch, Android™ and more!
pocket BLU™ App: The popular free pocket BLU™ app for smartphones is now even better with newly updated versions for iPad®, Android™ tablets, PC and Macintosh computers, with features made especially to take advantage of the devices’ larger screens and high resolution displays.
Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.
Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.
Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU™-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray™. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
Keyboard: Entering data is fast and easy with your device’s intuitive keyboard
BD-LIVE™: Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to access the latest trailers, exclusive content and more!
