Ted (12/11/2012)

Rated R/Unrated for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, and some drug use.

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel McHale and Seth MacFarlane (voice)

Directed by Seth MacFarlane

A talking bear that is rude, crude and violent… and just in time for Christmas.

In this live action/CG-animated comedy, Family Guy creator Seth 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.

As you read that synopsis I wonder if you’re like me and thought, “This could have been a really great family movie.” Unfortunately Seth McFarland is involved and it is total trash.

Sadly, if you’ve been to Wal Mart or Target lately, you’ll see huge displays featuring this movie, using the “Unrated” rating as a marketing plug. And sadder yet, parents are letting their teenagers watch this kind of racy content.

Sex still sells.

At lunch with my network of youth pastors last week, Shawn Acrey one of my friends shared a story about his talk the previous week. Shawn asked his students what they wanted for Christmas. One of his middle schoolers yelled out “Ted!” He told us everyone in the room just laughed. The other youth pastors told similar stories but none of us around the table had actually seen the movie. My guess is many of you reading this haven’t seen it, but your students have. So let’s talk about it for just a minute.

I’m not going to pretend that there weren’t a few scenes that made me laugh, but overall, even the scenes that started out funny, ended by taking the joke too far and making it too crude. There is no doubt Seth McFarland is very talented; he is also very dirty.

Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Seth MacFarlane (voice) lead the cast. And like I said earlier there are a few scenes where they made me laugh. Giovanni Ribisi and Joel McHale do a great job in their supporting roles. There are also a few great cameos by Ryan Reynolds, Tom Skerritt, Nora Jones and Flash Gordon.

I’ll admit I do understand why this movie would appeal to teenagers, but I still believe they shouldn’t see it and that we need to be prepared for when this movie comes up in conversations.

Call me biased, but I have to give the movie a “coaster.” The raunchiness was unnecessary. The movie could have been a great family film.

SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Nope. There are two brief nudity scenes and one scene where Ted has sex with a woman on the floor. Her panties are around her ankles and she moans as Ted is between her legs thrusting.

The F-word is used over 50 times and there are plenty of other obscene words throughout.

There are also several scenes where drugs and or alcohol are used.

CONVERSATION STARTER
There are two conversations we could have with kids if they actually go see this movie. First, if it’s a Christian kid, you might want to have the obvious conversation about why he or she saw this inappropriate movie. Is it okay to see this kind of trash? Jonathan really breaks it down well in this recent blog post about the movie Looper.

The second conversation you can have in this film is about the friendship between Ted and John. Here are some questions you could use.

1. In your opinion what is it about the friendship between Ted and John that is so appealing?


2. What would your “perfect friendship” look like?


3. What happens to the relationship between Ted and John? Why?


4. What are some of the ways you resolve conflict with your friends?


5. Read Ephesians 4:31-32
   
   Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
   
   Why do you think Paul tells us to get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior?


6. What kind of friendships would we have if we were kind to each other, tenderhearted, and forgave one another?


7. What are some things you can do this week to have those kinds of friendships?