OK, so follow me here:
Upon my first viewing of the trailer for “The Boss Baby,” directed by the guy who handled pretty much everything with the word “Madagascar” on it (Tom McGrath), I was less than enthused. Here is the deal: Tim (Miles Christopher Bakshi) is an only child whose life is pretty good with his parents (Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow). They encourage his imagination, sing songs with him, and make sure he has all of the love and attention he needs. When a new baby brother joins the family, Tim realizes that something is up with his constant wearing of a suit and carrying a briefcase. Not only does Tim realize that the baby can talk (with the voice of Alec Baldwin), but he is actually on a mission from Babycorps to stop Puppycorps (where the parents work), from making a puppy that will take all of the love away from babies. Tobey Maguire narrates this tale as well.
Yep. That’s a thing. So you can understand why I was a bit skeptical here. Sure, I am a fan of McGrath’s other works (especially the “Penguins” solo film), but this just seemed too out there for even a guy with an overactive imagination like me. By the time the credits rolled on “The Boss Baby,” however, I was actually feeling pretty good! If there is one word to describe this film, it is simply “silly,” and I mean that in the highest of possible regards. The voice cast here is great all the way through, and once I separated myself from the critic side of myself, I had a genuinely good time with this. There are great comic moments, especially when the vantage point changes from what the children think they are going through to what the parents actually see. There are also some moments where there are references that adults will catch that won’t have to be explained to the kids later like when The Boss Baby tells one of his play date/business meeting cohorts that “cookies are for closers,” as was stated in another of Baldwin’s films, “Glengarry Glen Ross”.
There is a real possibility that this could be nothing short of an absolute waste of time for anyone over the age of four, but with some witty writing, great visuals, and a solid voice cast, “The Boss Baby” is one of those truly family films that everyone can get something out of and can even be watched in repeat viewings without that parental moment of “do we REALLY have to put this in again” that families tend to have when it comes to their entertainment.