The sequel to Seth MacFarlane’s 2012 hit “Ted” is not very different from the first movie, with the same creative team and the return of most of the original cast members except for Mila Kunis.

    Set a few years later, the story begins with Ted (voiced by MacFarlane) marrying his grocery store co-worker Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) as his best friend John (Mark Wahlberg) cheers them on.

    We soon learn that John’s marriage has ended, and it isn’t long before Ted’s begins to hit the rocks* as well. Hoping to find their happiness, Ted suggests to Tami-Lynn that they have a baby, even though it could be difficult.

    The search for a sperm donor* includes a nighttime raid* on the house of Tom Brady (one of many celebrity cameos*).

    John offers to be the donor himself. But when Tami-Lynn turns out to be infertile*, the couple decides to adopt a child, a process that leads to the state of Massachusetts stripping* Ted of his identity, since he’s technically not a person but “property.”

    So Ted and John hire the services of a beautiful young lawyer, Samantha (Amanda Seyfried). The following court battle, in which Samantha is pitted against* a famous lawyer (John Slattery), ends badly, leading to a road trip to New York City, where the three hope to convince* the country’s leading civil rights lawyer (Morgan Freeman) to handle the appeal.

    Meanwhile, in another subplot borrowed from the original, the creepy Donny (Giovanni Ribisi) tries once again to capture Ted. Working as a janitor at teddy bear manufacturer Hasbro, Donny persuades his boss (John Carroll Lynch) that if they can cut Ted open to see what makes him tick, they’ll make millions selling similarly animated bears.

    The real love story, of course, is the bromance* between John and Ted, with the characters’ loosey-goosey* interactions, including harmonizing to the “Law & Order” theme song complete with made-up lyrics, providing the film’s funniest moments. (SD-Agencies)