Review of The Boss Baby (2017) by Sean L — 18 Apr 2017

Seven-year-old Tim is crestfallen when his idyllic family unit is shattered by a shrewd, suit-wearing, latte-draining infant brother with ulterior motives. It's a silly-thin premise, really, even for a kids' movie, but one that has a few ups to go with its downs.

It's very well art-directed, for one, with Tim's wildly colorful, elaborate fantasies wrenched to life in a variety of rich, vibrant, mix-and-match styles. Sight gags are also a strength, in true Dreamworks fashion, with one absurdly over-the-top backyard brawl taking that particular cake.

The celebrity voice acting is hit and miss: Alec Baldwin is a home run as the titular toddler, but Jimmy Kimmel drags down an essential role as the boys' soulful, stretched-thin father. The story, too, grapples with big problems.

It makes a nasty habit of establishing supporting characters and then forgetting about them for an awkward length of time, and also suffers from long stretches of bland exposition that drag the plot to a standstill.

Though it strives to connect with audiences of all ages, spitting adult-directed one-liners and references at every opportunity, many feel forced and out of place, like the obnoxious uncle who keeps trying to work in a "that's what she said" at the family picnic.

Simple, narrow and predictable to the last, it'll make good fodder for early weekend mornings, in households where sleepy parents seek something loud and shiny to sleep through.