The Boss Baby is loosely inspired by Marla Frazee’s 2010 children’s book. It’s a cute movie that is sometimes too advanced for its target audience.
The plot is clever due to the imagination of its writer Michael McCullers and the source material. However, the film has a hard time finding a tonal balance, but thank goodness Alex Baldwin is there to pick up the slack in moments where the film needs a push.
The Boss Baby (Alec Baldwin) is a grown adult in a cute baby body. He’s precocious, pretentious, and walks around in a black business suit with a briefcase as if he works for the Men In Black. His big blue marble eyes coupled with the melodious voice of Alec Baldwin is gifted at barking out gung-ho orders to everyone around him. But he’s on a mission. Boss Baby needs to figure out why puppies are receiving more love than babies, but his older brother Tim (Miles Bakshi) aims to throw a wrench in Boss Baby’s plans.
Tim isn’t cool with being bossed around by a baby, and the Boss Baby doesn’t like the idea of being ordered around by someone older. Together these two trouble makers hatch a plan to help one another get what they want. Tim wants Boss Baby out of his house, and Boss Baby seeks to stop the spiking sale of puppies.
My goodness, the synopsis gives me a headache. It’s convoluted but manages to deliver a touch of imagination and a few laughs in the process. The best aspect of the movie is that it addresses the dynamics of the nuclear family in addition to examining the limitless boundaries of the imagination. All work and no play make for a dull childhood, and The Boss Baby realizes that from the beginning.
Alec Baldwin is energetic and having fun with the role. His comedic timing is spot on as he helps an average story evolve with hitting every beat and driving the punchlines home. His personal bit of ‘snark’ takes The Boss Baby out of the cookie cutter realm and elevates the film to a mature plain of consciousness.
I don’t know if the average five-year-old will fully understand all the jokes in the movie, but that makes it exciting and a bit mysterious. The Boss Baby is a film that young people and adults can relate to and enjoy. Thanks to Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro’s vibrant musical score, there is a lot of Pixar, Toy Story nostalgia here that should tug at the heart strings.