Ted 2

Seth McFarlane is very funny. Irreverent and unfiltered, but funny. He made a name for himself with Family Guy and its spinoffs, and now is the undisputed king of adult animated comedy. A poorly reviewed hosting gig at the Oscars has him now struggling to maintain a foothold in film after the monster success of Ted in 2012 and the shameful follow-up, A Million Ways to Die in the West.

Ted 2 conveniently cuts Mila Kunis from the story, but picks up where we left off otherwise. John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is still the lovable stoner with a talking teddy bear aptly named Ted (Seth McFarlane) by his side. This time around, Ted gets married, and finds himself in Constitutional limbo as to his status in America. Is he a human, or property. The tandem of crude buddies enlist young attorney, Sam L. Jackson (Amanda Seyfried) to defend his right to be a human while the honcho at Hasbro has other plans.

When the whole plot can be run down in a paragraph, there isn't much left to say. The story is shallow and conflicted. The original Ted was great because it was light and funny, without any pretense of having a moral platform. Ted 2 tries to stick its nose into a satirical soapbox on the state of civil rights in our country. It just doesn't fit. Dred Scott, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the 13th Amendment have no place in a film like this, which is simply unfortunate. I get what McFarlane was thinking, but if you're going to go down this road, you have to do it with conviction, not half-heartedly.

Are there funny moments? Sure. Wahlberg is a very talented comedic actor (see The Other Guys), and some of the material pushes the limits, which is to be expected from McFarlane. Perhaps the best scene is also the most inappropriate, when John and Ted are heckling improv actors with sadness. It's hysterical, but it stands out in Ted 2 because it's truly the only moment that crosses the line (for some) in the way that this film needs to. There are only so many fart jokes, stupid plot points that lead to a weak one-liner, or sequences that are completely out of place that a film can deliver before it is just plain boring. Giovanni Ribisi, you are way too natural in your creepster role. Back it off a little bit or we will start to wonder about you for real.

The cameos are even a bit too much of an inside joke. It's as if McFarlane assembled his favorites including Patrick Warburton, Tom Brady, and Sam Jones, to bask in the presence of his own personal heroes. The lone exception is Liam Neeson in a totally random, yet beautifully executed scene. It works because it finds the commitment that the rest of the film lacks. The scene goes on just a bit too long, which is perfect, and I wish McFarlane had taken the time to do more of.

Ted 2 goes through the motions with the endgame of a box office smash in mind. Unfortunately, it won't find the success of the original due to the disappointing product. Will it make money? Sure. Will there be a Ted 3? I hope not, but wouldn't bet against it. Seth, if you are reading this, take another look at the improv scene. This is comedy gold, and it's your wheelhouse. Hire a writer for the rest of the story, and stick to the single scenes. Trust me, it's for the best. 4/10.