The Boss Baby: Family Business Movie Review

“Boss Baby: Family Business” is every bit of precious the first animated adventure, DreamWorks 2017 Oscar-nominated movie “Baby Boss,” was… only different.
What’s the same is the return of key names. Writer Michael McCullers (with a script based on characters in Marla Frazee’s books), along with director Tom McGrath, are continuing the story of the Templeton brothers. The siblings are Tim, played by James Marsden, who replaces Tobey McGuire, and Ted, played again by Alec Baldwin.

As you knew he would be, Ted is a prosperous and essential businessman now. He doesn’t visit often but does love his nieces, who he spoils with lavish gifts, when and if he gets a chance. Ted would visit more, but he doesn’t have the time for such things. Before the end of the film, he does say to his brother that being at the top is lonely, admitting that making money isn’t as meaningful as creating a family. Speaking of, Ted is a stay-at-home dad. His wife, Carol (Longoria), brings home the bacon. At the same time, he helps raise their daughters, seven-year-old Tabitha (Greenblatt) and one-year-old Tina (Sedaris).

Tim gets the stuffing knocked out of him when young Tabitha, the perfect role model for any young girl watching this film, becomes more eager to learn than to play. She schools him, asking for a handshake at bedtime rather than a kiss goodnight. Bothered, he goes upstairs to the attic, where he once again discovers Wizzie (McGrath), who’s none too happy to have been stuffed in a box all this time.

On the subject of time, Tina discloses that she’s from Baby Corp. She does this because she needs her father and her uncle’s help on a secret mission. The mission is easy to reveal. Suppose Tim and Ted don’t work together to help with a crisis that’s going on at The Acorn Center, Tabitha’s school. In that case, something terrible would happen to all the children of the world. The principal, Dr. Armstrong (Goldblum), is rather peculiar and needs some looking into. Tim and Ted in to help! To find out what’s going on, they are given a special formula that turns back the years. This fun scene has them fighting for one bottle of formula as they age in reverse. This eventually makes Ted younger than Tim. Having him in a different age bracket also puts them in separate classrooms. This leads to plenty of circumstances where things can and do go wrong, and the now boys can and do get into trouble. As they’re working on their end, Tina works on the outside, guiding their progress and helping when they need it.

Ted is put in the baby class, or the “Dumb-Dumb Holding Trap,” as he likes to refer to it, and Tim finds himself in the seat next to his daughter Tabitha. This is very sweet; very touching. The movie truly ends up being about his love for his children and how he’d do anything for them.

However, there are a few scenes when the boys run into some trouble along the way. These scenes might be a little rough on the really young children, especially in a setting that has them close to drowning. I was surprised to see this. And a Union sign being held up by someone who is then referred to as Norma Rae isn’t going to get any laughs from any youngster I can think of.

I’m saying that a lot of the dialogue seems to be written for parents rather than children. There’s a very powerful message about Global Warming that comes straight out and says to the adults; it’s YOUR fault! I mean, it is their future being destroyed. That said, there are characters for whom your children will love, Molly K. Gray as “Creepy Girl,” for instance. She likes soft horses.

But the critical moment of this movie is when seven-year-old Tabitha sings “Together We Stand” at the pageant. All the scenes centered around this song are memorable. It has a strong message, the art direction is beautiful, and the lyrics are compelling. Through all of this, the brothers realize that message is just as much about them as it is everyone else.

The work of the entire cast is dazzling, the animation is lively, keeping you constantly stimulated. The music is quite good; very appealing for all. You may enjoy the addition of an Enya song. I very much did.

Except for a few moments where baby Ninjas are trying to kill people with their throwing stars, Loli’s and other candies are consumed by the truckloads, and a few scenes that the kiddies simply won’t understand enough to appreciate, this is a winner for the whole family. I can’t think of any reason not to see it… pronto.