The Boss Baby – Surprisingly Not as Bad as It Looks (Guest Review)

Hi there, it’s MovieManDan

I’m a new reviewer here on the site but you’ll be seeing my name pop up around here over the next few weeks or so as I’ll be providing some content here on a regular basis to help Keith out with the site. Feel free to post your thoughts, comments and any feedback in the section below.

Now, without further ado – let’s get started with the review.

Plot: Tim Templeton (Miles Christopher Bakshi) is an adventurous and wildly imaginative 7-year old boy who lives happy with his parents Ted (Jimmy Kimmel) and Janice (Lisa Kudrow). All is going well for Tim until he is presented with the idea of the possibility of the arrival of a new brother. Much to Tim’s horror, that’s exactly what he gets but this is no normal baby. A business suit-wearing infant (Alec Baldwin) soon shows up at the door and Ted and Janice introduce him to Tim as his new baby brother. From here, we learn of this baby’s real intentions – to ensure the future of babies as they feel as though there isn’t enough love to go around.

Review: “The Boss Baby”is without a doubt another mediocre entry into the DreamWorks Animation library (including the likes of such recent titles as “Trolls”, “Home”& “Penguins of Madagascar”) but it’s not all bad nor as bad as you might have been led to believe from the trailers and TV spots. So, what saves this one?

Well for starters, there seems to have actually been some imagination and creativity put into the animation and story here from the filmmakers and as a result, the movie doesn’t just feel like a lazy cash grab. Likewise, there’s a level of originality here and while it goes a bit overboard in terms of story, it was still interesting to see where director Tom McGrath (director of “The Madagascar Trilogy” & 2010’s “Megamind”) and team would go with it. There is a good, bittersweet message given to kids here and the animation actually has some much welcomed style to it at times , thanks to some pretty impressive “imagination”sequences that really pop thanks to some vibrant colors and lots of fast paced action and, hey, the voice acting work from the entire cast is actually pretty decent here too.

In terms of complaints… Well, for an Animated Comedy, this film doesn’t offer all that many laughs as the screenplay really isn’t all that clever in this regard.  Sure, there are a couple small chuckles to be had, but sadly that’s it.  Mixed in with these scenes are some really cheesy, cringe-inducing moments where the film tries too hard to pull at the heart strings and honestly they really drag quite a bit. Likewise, this would have been a tighter film with about 5-10 minutes cut on the editing room floor.

There are also some story beats that rely on tired film clichés and as a result many events – including the final outcome, was predictable, even before having seen the film. Continuing on, unlike most films in the DreamWorks library there isn’t much content for the adults to enjoy. Films like “Shrek”, “Kung Fu Panda”and even McGrath’s “Madagascar”films are perfect examples of films that work for both age demographics but this isn’t the case here. This is a film strictly for it’s target audience and there should be little enjoyment to be found here for anyone outside that age group.

For what it’s worth though – most of those who are in that said target audience (children 10 and under) will be satisfied with this one overall.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5.0 Stars – “The Boss Baby” is another mixed bag from the animation team at DreamWorks but it’s a much better film than what the trailers and TV spots would have you to believe. I was really dreading the experience of seeing the film but I was pleasantly surprised. Even though this wasn’t a ‘good’ film – it is completely harmless. It could be best described as a mixed bag but still has enough good qualities to recommend this one to those who are interested. Just maybe wait for the home video release and give it a rental or wait and see it on a cheap night at your local cinema.

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Guest Writer