Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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I Thought There Would Be More Cameos Ted (Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS This may be a polarizing opinion, but Ted was not only funny, it was sort of sweet in a twisted Seth McFarlane sort of way. Fans of Family Guy will notice that his dependable stable of guest stars get in on the action, along with many other similarities to his popular cartoon. First, clearly the show's composers picked up a little overtime since most of the music is lifted, or at least directly inspired by, the show soundtrack. Second, most of the jokes would not be out of place on the average episode. Third, there is the same rapid fire pace of pop-culture references. Finally, a beloved ani- mal is anthropomorphized, with the added twist that the animal is a stuffed toy named Ted (McFarlane). Narrator Patrick Stewart tells us that a young boy's wish is about to turn his teddy bear into a living, breath- ing best friend, much to the shock of his parents (Alex Borstein and Ralph Garman). Unlike Stewie, it is imme- diately clear that the rest of the world can see and hear the bear, which quickly elevates him to celebrity status. But, as Stewart points out, celebrity is an undependable thing, and sooner or later you end up begging for a spot on a bad reality show. By 2012, John (Mark Wahlberg) has grown up. He still lives with Ted, who is looking a bit ratty — and I have to wonder what sort of cosmetic options a magically animate stuffed toy can access. It seems like the power that brought him to life would also keep him in near mint condition, or that he would be able to afford some expensive upkeep with the money earned from celebrity appearances and such. So, anyway, they live together and smoke a lot of marijuana. Although, that does beg the question of how a stuffed animal ingests, much less notices an effect from drugs. Maybe I'm overthinking it? In any case, John works at a car rental company with Patrick Warburton. Yes, he has a character name, but he is just in the film to make out with the guy played by Ryan Reynolds, known merely as "that Van Wilder lookin' dude." In fact, in terms of cameo appearances, Ted is running second only to season five of The Guild. But no Adam West! And no Seth Green! At least there's Mila Kunis as John's girlfriend Lori, slowly overcoming the stigma of Max Payne, and perfect- ing a career based upon playing the Ideal Girlfriend. Of course, because she is so hot she gets sexually harassed a lot, mostly by her manager Rex (Joel McHale! He amuses me!) Even though she is an Ideal Girlfriend, if there is no conflict there is no movie, so a bit of contrivance is used to make Ted into the wedge that might drive them apart. Really, it's hard to imag- ine that she would put up with her boyfriend's magi- cal teddy bear along with his loutish behavior for four years only to suddenly decide it's the teddy bear that's the source of their stagnating relationship, especially when they all seem to get along pretty well. Once Ted clears the way for John and Lori by mov- ing out, he finds himself a girlfriend (Jessica Barth) and throws a wild party with a special celebrity guest, Flash Gordon (Sam Jones). References to Flash Gordon are only the tip of the pop-culture iceberg — the prize of which is Ted lipsyncing to a Hootie and the Blowfish song from the '90s. Aside: I was convinced that McFarlane snuck in joke lyrics, but the song actually does include a reference to how dolphins make the singer cry. The movie could ride on its high concept premise alone, but there is a totally unnec- essary kidnapping subplot that draws on the ability of Giovanni Ribisi to embody creepiness. Whatever. The movie made me laugh and ends by rightfully busting on Brandon Routh, so I highly recommend it. Now showing at Wynnsong 7, Carmike 12 and Carmike Market Fair 15. HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 5 p.m. - 9 p.m., Tues. - Thur. 5 p.m. - 10 p.m., Fri. - Sat. 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Tues. - Sat. Dinner Lunch Sunday Brunch 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Closed Monday Sit down and enjoy award winning cuisine in our elegant dining rooms set in a historic home built in 1908. Complement your entree with a selection from our extensive wine list. Thurs., July 26, 2012 • 6:30 p.m. Seating Wine Dinner Event featuring Fri., July 27, 2012 • 6:30 p.m. Seating Murder Mystery Dinner • Meal Begins at 7 p.m. Wines from the State of Washington 5 Course Meal Begins at 7 p.m. • • • • • • • • Each Event Requires Reservations. $50 per person + tax and gratuity 1240 Fort Bragg Road • Fayetteville, NC 910.484.6699 www.hilltophousenc.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JULY 18-24, 2012 UCW 21 R