The Boss Baby: Family Business movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: The Boss Baby: Family Business

This colorful, family-friendly animation is available in theaters and streaming on Peacock July 2021

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 47 minutes

IN A NUTSHELL:

In this DreamWorks Animation’s sequel to The Boss Baby, the Templeton brothers have become adults and drifted away from each other, but a new boss baby with a cutting-edge approach is about to bring them together again – and inspire a new family business. The sequel is directed by Tom McGrath.

The first The Boss Baby was fresh and fun. It actually became a 4-season series on Netflix. This second edition in the franchise feels like a sugar rush – a burst of energy that leaves you with a headache. That being said, kids love it.

THINGS I LIKED:

The pompous, overly confident character of The Boss Baby is basically the same as Alec Baldwin’s role on the popular TV show 30 Rock – The Complete Series [Blu-ray] They’re both hilarious and super entertaining.
James Marsden replaces Tobey Maguire for the voice of Adult Tim in this sequel. He does a great job and I loved being able to hear him sing again. He’s so talented. Parents will definitely be able to relate to his character, Timothy, the dad in the story, who asks, “Where has time gone?”

Ariana Greenblatt is one of the hardest-working child actors these days. She has been pumping out a ton of movies lately! She’s adorable in all of them. Check out my reviews in her recent films AWAKE on Netflix and LOVE AND MONSTERS. She’s even seen briefly in the new movie musical IN THE HEIGHTS.
Who doesn’t adore Jeff Goldblum? He and his character are awesome. All of the sugar consumed by Dr. Armstrong made me laugh out loud, especially when he started pouring an actual bag of sugar into his mouth.
There are some sweet musical numbers.
A lot of funny visual humor.
There’s a creepy-girl character that is super…creepy and funny.
The lessons for children come through loud and clear.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It’s been 4 years since the original The Boss Baby hit theaters, so the beginning of the film gives you a quick update on where the characters are now. The problem is that you’re not completely clued in because if you haven’t seen the Netflix series, you’re going to be left out on many of the story details.
In this age of female empowerment, the characters with the brains in the movie are all female. I’m all for empowering women, but it really bothers me when men are portrayed as bumbling idiots. One of the girls says, “Men, am I right?” As a mom of 4 sons, I don’t appreciate belittling men in order to make girls feel better about themselves.
Sooo much exposition.
Almost every scene is extremely chaotic.
The sibling rivalry got really old.
I understand that the pandemic has messed up the timing of a lot of movie releases, but this movie should have come out during November or December, which is the season represented in the movie.
Tina had blonde hair at the end of the first movie but now has brown hair. Why the change?
A lot of the humor doesn’t land.
The soundtrack often conflicts with the dialogue.
I like Amy Sedaris, but I didn’t like her voice for the young Boss Baby. She’s supposed to be a baby but seems much older. Christine Baranski or even Julia Louis-Dreyfus could have been a much better choice for this role.
The entire movie feels frenzied and feels like they just tried to squeeze too much into it.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

You see the naked rear end of a baby boy.
Lots of destruction
Bullying
TONS of cultural, musical, and movie references that young kids simply won’t understand.

THEMES:

Sibling rivalry, brotherhood
Alpha male
Parenting
Family
Control and power
Corporate greed
Unconditional love
Creativity and using your imagination
“Just because you grow up doesn’t mean you have to grow apart.” – Tina Templeton (Amy Sedaris)
Your kids are definitely going to want you to buy Mentos candy and soda pop to create their own volcano magic.

FUNNY LINES:

“Childhood was the worst three years of my life.” – Theodore Templeton (Alec Baldwin)
“I did things with glue I’m not proud of.” – Theodore Templeton (Alec Baldwin)
“What happens on the playground, stays on the playground.” – Theodore Templeton (Alec Baldwin)

INTERESTING LINES:

“I thought we had all the time in the world, but you can’t turn back time, can you?” – Tim Templeton (James Marsden)
“What if everyone said no? Nothing would ever happen.” – Tina Templeton (Amy Sedaris)
“Childhood doesn’t last forever but family sure does.” – Tina Templeton (Amy Sedaris)