5. Seth MacFarlane
I know, I know: Seth MacFarlane has only made one film to date,
Ted, so how can he be
that overrated? MacFarlane makes this list, however, for a couple of reasons. In my opinion, this once unique and talented comic auteur is simply resting on his laurels. What happened to that once fresh and unique that first arrived on the scene in '99 with
Family Guy? The show might have its best days behind it, sure, but what has MacFarlane done otherwise to show people that he's still worth listening to?
Ted is the answer, and what a horribly overrated comedy flick that was. Like a TV movie working its way out of a first draft,
Ted was kind of, well, embarrassing. To memory, I remember laughing out loud exactly once, and that was right at the end of the movie when I was probably just praying to find something (anything!) amusing. The fact that
Ted was beloved by a large audience haul is surprising: did people really find the middling, one-joke premise all that hilarious? And if that's the best that MacFarlane can offer us - and if mass audiences are willing to settle for such uninspired comedy fare - then, yes, MacFarlane is definitely overrated. And he can definitely do better.