While the first “Ted” was not exactly a piece of comedic genius, it was leaps and bounds ahead of its successor that revisits the life of an adorable teddy bear who can curse, smoke and drink as much as any seasoned sailor.

“Ted 2” (Rated R; 115 min) directed by Seth MacFarlane, culminates as the worst of his feature films by relying too heavily on humor that is juvenile and recycled.

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The sequel to the 2012 film finds Ted, voiced by MacFarlane, and his new wife Tami-Lynn, played by Jessica Barth, going through a rough patch in their marriage. In order to alleviate their problems, they decide to have a child.  

However, an obvious problem arises when examining Ted’s anatomy, setting Ted and his childhood friend, John Bennett, played by Mark Wahlberg, on a mission to find a sperm donor.  

One thing leads to another, and Ted discovers he is not considered a human in the eyes of the state and therefore cannot have his marriage legally recognized or adopt a child with Tami-Lynn.  

A court case ensues where Ted is defended by Samantha Jackson, played by Amanda Seyfried. Now Ted must duel with the courts to fight for his civil rights.

“Ted 2” suffers from a dearth of witty and smart comedy.  While there are some entertaining parts of the film, most of the comedy MacFarlane resorts to is rather juvenile and is sure to remind most of the audience of the inappropriate jokes of their junior high years.

There is a distinct difference between comedies like “Ted 2” and comedies like “Spy,” which was released earlier this month. “Spy,” directed by Paul Feig, holds up as a solid piece of comedy that uses sharp, witty dialogue to tell its comical tale of espionage. However, a teddy bear getting high with Mark Wahlberg is simply not funny anymore.  

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The film also relies on an excess of shock-value humor.

Early in the film, Ted and John go to a fertility clinic, which comes with its own set of inadequate jokes, so John can donate his sperm for Ted’s future child. Ted is shown into the room where all the sperm samples are held and eventually John wanders in and proceeds to knock over a shelf full of sperm samples covering himself in undesirable fluids in the process.  

This is the kind of cheap humor we would expect in a film like “Jackass,” but not in a decent comedy.

MacFarlane is a bit of hit and miss for me. I will laugh at an episode of “Family Guy” or “The Cleveland Show,” but all too often I find myself desiring something of more substance. I enjoyed the original “Ted” a great deal, and even the disappointment that is “A Million Ways to Die in the West” was a higher level of entertainment than “Ted 2.”

If you feel the need, go ahead and see it. You will likely find yourself laughing at one point or another. But beware, you very well may leave the theater wondering, “Why did I just spend nearly $10 to see that ridiculous movie?”  

2 out of 5 stars