Ted Movie Review | Common Sense Media

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Parents' Guide to

Ted Movie R 2012 106 minutes

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 41 Reviews
• Kids Say 170 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Vulgar comedy overshadows a genuine love story.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Ted is a raunchy comedy co-written and directed by Seth MacFarlane, creator of the edgy cartoon TV series Family Guy. The film has a sequel, Ted 2, as well as a…

Why Age 16+? Language

Language is constant, strong, and extremely vulgar. This includes many uses of "

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

The two main characters regularly smoke pot and drink beer. They try cocaine for

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Ted (the teddy bear) has sex with a human woman—but only their legs and his stuf

Products & Purchases

Several products are shown and/or referenced, including Budweiser beer, Michelob

Violence & Scariness

In the opening scene, a child is jumped by neighborhood kids for being Jewish. T

Any Positive Content? Positive Messages

Buried beneath all the vulgar humor is a message about the benefits of growing u

Positive Role Models

He swears, drinks, and does drugs, but John also learns to be responsible and to

Diverse Representations Flagged for concern

Ted offends with equal opportunity. From antisemitic jokes and racial s

• Parents Need to Know

  Parents need to know that Ted is a raunchy comedy co-written and directed by Seth MacFarlane, creator of the edgy cartoon TV series Family Guy. The film has a sequel, Ted 2, as well as a TV prequel. This film is extremely vulgar, filled with wall-to-wall language, racial and ethnic jokes, sexual innuendo and references, partial nudity and partly shown sex, and a violent fight scene. John (Mark Wahlberg) and Lori (Mila Kunis) attempt to find love, despite John's unwavering connection to his childhood teddy bear (voiced by MacFarlane). Characters drink beer and liquor, smoke pot regularly, and try cocaine (some negative effects are shown). There are also tons of pop culture references, as well as a few product references, including beer, junk food, and video games.

  To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

• Language

  a lot

  Language is constant, strong, and extremely vulgar. This includes many uses of "f--k" and "s--t," as well as "Jesus" (as an exclamation), "oh my God," "douchebag," "douche," "ass," "a--hole," "motherf---er," "p---y," "t-ts," "c--k," "son of a bitch," "bastard," "d--k," "hell," "crap," "goddamn," and "whore." Also many racial and ethnic slurs, as well as extremely crude and off-color jokes about topics like rape.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

  a lot

  The two main characters regularly smoke pot and drink beer. They try cocaine for the first time at a party; the negative effects of this are shown. Characters also drink shots of hard liquor and champagne at a restaurant.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Sex, Romance & Nudity

  a lot

  Ted (the teddy bear) has sex with a human woman—but only their legs and his stuffed bottom is visible. The bear flirts with a girl by thrusting up against a cash register, pantomiming oral sex, and squirting hand cream on his face. Ted later hosts a harem of sex workers. One woman's naked breasts are shown; another walks around in only a bath towel. A man's naked bottom is shown, played for humor. Characters kiss and caress each other. A close-up of a bronzed testicle statue is announced as "Lance Armstrong's bronzed nut."

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Products & Purchases

  some

  Several products are shown and/or referenced, including Budweiser beer, Michelob beer, Nintendo, PlayStation, Pop 'Ems, Sugar Corn Pops, Pepperidge Farm, Teddy Ruxpin, and more. Many, many movies and TV shows are also mentioned and/or shown, including Flash Gordon (1980), Bridget Jones's Diary, and Cheers.

• Violence & Scariness

  some

  In the opening scene, a child is jumped by neighborhood kids for being Jewish. The main characters have a knockdown, drag-out fistfight, destroying many objects in a hotel room. A bare bottom is whipped with a radio antenna. A character plays the "knife game" with a person's fingers, accidentally stabbing him on the hand (a little blood shown). Other scenes of fighting, slight wounds, and arguing. Jokes about rape and disability. A woman is punched in the face by a man in a club. A woman beats another senseless for a bouquet at a wedding. A character is hit in the face with the base of a microphone stand and hospitalized.

  Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

  Get started Close

• Positive Messages

  a little

  Buried beneath all the vulgar humor is a message about the benefits of growing up and becoming responsible. It's more important to be happy than to be wealthy. Friendships evolve as people mature but can withstand anything.

• Positive Role Models

  a little

  He swears, drinks, and does drugs, but John also learns to be responsible and to "become a man" in order to be worthy of the woman he loves. Lori, John's girlfriend, is an overly patient and forgiving woman who's burdened with the responsibility of John's personal growth. Despite her stereotypical role, she shows that love can be kind.

• Diverse Representations

  Flagged for concern

  Ted offends with equal opportunity. From antisemitic jokes and racial slurs to mimicking an intellectual disability to limiting women to being "chicks," no one is spared. In one scene, a "Muslim chick" is thanked for 9/11. In another, characters wish Lou Gehrig's disease and "kid cancer" on people. Women are objectified, and Lori, the only positive female character, somehow forgives it all. While she's an example of a successful working woman (a VP at an ad agency), her boss ignores all of her talent to hit on her at every turn. Fat jokes include a child laughed at for trying to run. Extensive homophobic jokes include a couple that's part of a "Gay Underworld" where they beat one another for pleasure. Main characters, writers, and director are all White and mostly men.

  Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update .

Where to Watch

Videos and Photos

• TedMovie Review 2:26
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Ted

Parent and Kid Reviews

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• Parents Say (41)
• Kids Say (170)

age 14+

Based on 41 parent reviews

Parents say the movie is filled with crude humor, excessive swearing, and drug content, making it inappropriate for younger audiences, with many suggesting it's best suited for kids aged 14 and up, or even older. Despite the vulgarity, some viewers find it entertaining and heartwarming, praising the chemistry between the cast and noting a mix of heartfelt themes alongside the raunchy humor.

• vulgar humor
• inappropriate for kids
• suitable for teens
• heartwarming moments
• entertaining cast

Summarized with AI

See all 41 parent reviews age 15+

Based on 170 kid reviews

Kids say this movie is hilarious and entertaining, showcasing the unique friendship between a man and his foul-mouthed teddy bear, but it is heavily laden with raunchy humor, profanity, drug use, and inappropriate sexual content, making it unsuitable for younger audiences. Despite its crude elements, many viewers appreciate the underlying messages about loyalty and growing up, although they caution that it is better suited for older teens and adults.

• hilarious friendship
• raunchy humor
• unsuitable for kids
• underlying messages
• adult themes

Summarized with AI

See all 170 kid reviews

What's the Story?

As a child, John Bennett (Bretton Manley) makes a Christmas wish for his new teddy bear, TED, to talk and be his best friend forever—and it comes true. Many years later, John (Mark Wahlberg) is now 35, and, though they're still best friends, Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) has become a bad influence. Together, John and Ted spend their time sitting on the couch, making jokes, watching movies, and smoking pot. John's girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis), likes Ted and loves John but would really like him to grow up. Unfortunately, John makes one mistake too many, just as an obsessed collector (Giovanni Ribisi) kidnaps Ted. Can John get his friend back and straighten out his life?

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Is It Any Good?

Our review: Parents say (41 ): Kids say (170 ):

MacFarlane's type of humor—pop culture references mixed with vulgar shock humor—will offend many and doesn't age well here. Ted's over-the-top comedy tries to capture the genuine heart of flawed characters. But even though the three leads care for one another, that positive theme gets overshadowed by crude language and sex-drenched jokes that never fully redeem them. Racial slurs, mean-spirited jokes that punch down at people, and limiting gender roles just aren't funny. They weren't in 2012, and they surely aren't now.

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Talk to Your Kids About ...

• Families can talk about how Ted depicts drug and alcohol use. Why do John and Ted smoke and drink so much? What are the real-life consequences of substance use/abuse? Are those consequences clear in the movie?

• What does it mean to be a grown-up? How do the characters show that they're moving from being children to becoming responsible adults? Is it hard to take that step—to "throw away childish things" and become adults?

• Does this movie reinforce stereotypes, or does it make fun of them?

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Movie Details

• In theaters : June 29, 2012
• On DVD or streaming : December 11, 2012
• Cast : Mark Wahlberg , Mila Kunis , Seth MacFarlane
• Director : Seth MacFarlane
• Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Comedy
• Run time : 106 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : crude and sexual content, pervasive language, and some drug use
• Last updated : November 6, 2025

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Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Ted

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