Ted

Ted is one of the movies that has seen the light of the day, a bit late in India. A phenomenon that isn’t too common place. Especially with movies of this genre. Ted is nothing but a randomly made, slapstick, very predictable, romantic comedy with no class, that is labeled as entertainment by various segments of society that we live in. Something that has ceased to surprise me over the years.

John Bennet (Mark Wahlberg / Bretton Manley) is a loser. He has no friends whatsoever and is more often than not, bullied by the kids in his neighbourhood. Ergo he is also a loner. And like most kids, he hates to be a loner / loser. One Christmas, he prays for his Teddy Bear to come alive and be his friend. Well guess what – it is not for nothing that they say we should choose what we wish for very carefully.

Miraculously, Ted is alive the next day and goes onto become an overnight sensation that is lapped up by most Television channels. However, he never forgets that John is his best friend and ensures that they spend a lot of time together. Needless to say, John cannot imagine a life without Ted. What the wish however came with is a lifetime guarantee.

And now, 27 years later, John is a not so ambitious car salesman making about $30K per year and the best thing that has happened in his life after Ted is the gorgeous Lori Collins (Mila Kunis) – a successful executive in a large organization with a boss who doesn’t lose half an opportunity to hit on her. John and Lori have been in love for nearly 4 years now. People grow up out of Teddy Bears and isn’t it time to move away from Ted, now that John has pretty much decided to spend the rest of his life with Lori?

You may just about enjoy the first few minutes of cheap humour because it doesn’t quite feel too cheap honestly. With director Seth MacFarlane also giving the voice of Ted, there are some dialogues that will bring a smile to your face. But soon, most of the screenplay starts getting boring and half way into the movie you are suffering from an overdose of slapstick.

The performances are also nothing much you will really look upto. The story is quite good but lands up becoming kind of an overkill. You don’t leave the movie hall feeling happier than when you walked in and that to me is a clear indicator that you don’t need to waste your money on watching Ted on the big screen. Wait for the DVD or actually better still, watch it on TV if and when it airs. 5 on 10.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3048383257/

Seven Pounds

There is a terminal heart patient who answers to the call of Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson). She runs a pressed wedding card business – the one that used to be run in the days of old. The one which had to be worked upon manually to set the print or the one that is semi automatic. Machines which are over 50 years old at least. She is weak but by her own claim – and I must agree to it – used to be – unauditably hot.

Then there is a a blind man who is called Ezra (Woody Harrelson). He works at a call centre for a meat packing business but is a vegan by choice and a virgin by chance. Quite a weird combination right? And an unfortunate combination which one has to accept I guess. He likes the local waitress at a café a lot but has never gotten around to tell her that in as many words. Just doesn’t have the courage.

There is a middle aged woman who has two children – a boy and a girl. She is called Connie Tepos (Elpidia Carrillo). She is a Spanish immigrant – a legal one thought. Divorced. Her current boyfriend is a no good person. He beats her up quite often. And despite the best efforts of people close to her, she refuses to report it to the cops and get her boyfriend behind bars. Sigh. The vagaries of the female mind.

What connects these three to Ben (Will Smith) who seems to be a man on the verge of a suicide and has a past that keeps flashing through his head? Is it the car crash which seems to be a fatal one? One that obviously involving 7 people whose names he keeps calling out in absolute angst. Ben visits each one of these people, representing the Internal Revenue Services, and tries to help them in some way or the other. Connie Tepos gets his house. Emily gets a relief for her tax payments. And Ezra gets a gentle push towards that waitress of his after receiving a very rude earful from Ben.

Written by Grant Nieporte, Seven Pounds is the kind of movie I should have seen at the time of release itself. And I have no clue to how I missed it. The screenplay is written extremely well to figure out the story only towards the end. While one gets reasonable clues as regards the past, one doesn’t really get clarity on the reason for Ben’s actions till the very end. The editing by Hughes Winborne and the music by Angelo Milli create an extremely haunting aura around the movie.

Full credit to director Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness) for giving us another poignant and heart wrenching story that has been executed to near perfection. But be forewarned that Seven Pounds could result in a lot of exercise for the lachrymal glands. That one of the best actors of our time – Will Smith – leads the cast is just an added reason to watch the movie. I have never seen Woody Harrelson in such a helpless role ever in the recent or distant past. Everyone in the cast seems to have given the movie a 100%. Even the poor Hotel owner who has to endure Ben’s nuances and the horse (read great Dane) that Ben gets along with him for a day or 2 when Emily is at the hospital. Seven Pounds easily makes the cut to anyone’s must watch list. 7.5 on 10.

Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1057359641/