Review of The Boss Baby (2017) by Kj P — 23 Jul 2017

When it comes to animated films, it's usually a standard in today's catalogue of films, that the animation itself is gorgeous. The Boss Baby is nothing short of beautiful in terms of animation, so I want to get that completely off the table to begin with. With the recent release of the Blu-Ray and DVD, I thought I'd check out the film that stirred up so much mediocrity/hate with the critics. I have to say, this film doesn't deserve nearly the grades that it's been given. No, I won't be remembering this film as one of the greatest animated films out there, but it tries very hard to make itself relevant, in that its core story is filled with much more heart than I was expecting. Here is why I believe The Boss Baby may just be worth your time.

When this film opens and you see what the main premise is going to be, you'll probably find yourself rolling your eyes like I did, not laughing whatsoever. Tim, a 7-year-old boy is given a baby brother. Noticing that there's something off about him, he learns he has come from somewhere distant and he has the mentality of a full-grown adult. Determined to get him out of the house, he teams up with this "boss baby" in order to take down an evil corporation. Hating each other at first, this film really is about growing to like each other and learning the true meaning of family. Sadly, the trailers do not express this and the first act of this film makes you believe it's just going to be a silly comedy from start to finish.

Yes, this is a very silly film, but the elements that begin to present themselves throughout the second and third acts were really what changed my mind about The Boss Baby. It's very rare that I watch a movie, find myself completely uninterested throughout almost the entirety of the first 30 minutes, only to be completely won over by the tie the climax hits. The Boss Baby is one of those rare occasions where the film gets better as it goes on. Not only did I find myself caring about the characters by the end, but a tear may have even formed. I won't be head over heels about this film when describing it to people, but as a film that seems pathetic on the surface, this is a surprisingly decent flick.

My biggest fear going into this film, was the fact that the central character in "boss baby" would be a little too much. As mentioned above, the first act of this film suffers from this aspect as well. When you first meet him (voiced by Alec Baldwin), it seems as though he's just going to be a rip-off of the character Stewie from the television show Family Guy, but to my surprise, he's also like that character in the best way possible as well. When it's necessary for him to become heartfelt and charming, it really works in context with the overall story and that was easily the part that made this film work as well as it does by the end.

In the end, The Boss Baby does absolutely nothing to separate itself from other animated films that are just like it. It surrounds itself it surrounds itself in cliches and once the film reaches a certain point, you'll be able to predict everything from there on out. That being said, the cliches are effective and I honestly didn't expect them to even go that certain route, which is why I think it works more than most people do. The screenplay is generic and recycled, the animation is beautiful (but familiar), the premise is lacklustre from the start, and it's cliched from beginning to end. However; this film somehow manages to tug on your heart strings and it won me over by the third act. I can't say I thoroughly enjoyed this film, but I enjoyed watching the film progress, as it gets better and better. In short, The Boss Baby is a generic kids film that managed to be better than it should've been. If you don't have anything to watch, I don't think you'll regret giving this one a rent. Just don't expect too much out of it.