The Boss Baby 2 – Silly But Full of Heart (Early Review)

2017’s The Boss Baby took its silly and high-concept premise that did not exactly work with everyone to an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature. When it didn’t seem like there was any more ground to cover as far as the premise was concerned, like it or not, the franchise is back with a sequel, the aptly-titled The Boss Baby 2. that brings the whole family into the mix. Though a film about a baby in a suit can only go so far, this one gets by on its relatable themes even if they’re not new by any means and its humor which works more often than not. The power of childhood and family through the lens of growing up is still something that is sure to have impact on audiences after cutting through the rest of the noise. Underneath all that noise and silliness, was plenty of heart while the great voice acting make it a fun watch despite running at arguably a touch too long. However in the end, those who weren’t fans of the original probably won’t have their minds changed by this one.

Just like the original film, the title of The Boss Baby 2 essentially explains what the story was about here as Ted (Baldwin) and Tim Templeton (Marsden) were now adults that have since drifted apart with the former taking refuge in his work as a successful businessman. placing that success ahead of his family and others and the latter as a caring stay-at-home father who watched his daughter Tabitha (Ariana Greenblatt) grow up in front of his eyes as he believed that his time for adventures was over. Defined by his relationship with his daughter, losing grip of that prompted an identity crisis on Tim’s part. However, Tabitha was merely growing up, an unavoidable point in their relationship while she seemed to idolize her uncle and his successful career instead of her stay-at-home father and his youthful imagination which she got tried of.

Luckily for Tim, he would get one more adventure as he found himself once again with another boss baby in the form of his new daughter Tina (Sedaris) who had plans of her own for him and Ted, bringing them back together for another mission. Regardless, the two still had some unresolved issues for them to iron out over the course of their mission. That being said, he still had to keep proving himself as a means of emerging from the shadow of his brother which made for a fun dynamic between the two as they embarked on another adventure together in the hopes of bridging that gap and reconnecting. Now both adults, a drastic change was needed in order for Tim and Ted to acquire some much needed perspective for them to tackle this new challenge. Tim and Ted being turned back into babies made for hilarious moments as they had to learn to be young again. These compelling moments would of course all come full circle by the end as Tim, Ted, Tina, and Tabitha were reminded of the power of family and the importance of childhood.

Once again, the animation of The Boss Baby 2 may not reach the top tiers of animation but was still high quality in terms of characters of environments as they were each full of color and detail. Ultimately, the best part of the film was its performances across the board. Baldwin and his distinctive voice as Ted is still perfect casting and was fun to watch while Marsden’s Ted was a great straight man with a few moments of his own. The story and humor may not be new by any means but in spite of that, the dynamic between the two was still a blast to watch. Sedaris was also a great addition as Tina with her distinctive voice and comedic timing fitting nicely amongst all the silliness.

At the end of the day, The Boss Baby 2 may not bring anything new to the table but what it does, it does well, resulting in a solid watch.

still courtesy of Universal Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.