[REVIEW] The Boss Baby: Family Business is Strictly Kiddie Business

FOR ANYONE WHO HAS NOT YET SEEN THE BOSS BABY 2: FAMILY BUSINESS, THIS IS A NON SPOILER REVIEW.

Alec Baldwin is back as the titular lead character in Dreamworks’ Boss Baby sequel.  Sometimes it’s difficult to go into films like this because you know they aren’t specifically tailored for you.  But, rather a much younger audience.  And while I think that’s definitely the case with this sequel as well as the original, this new outing is not without its pleasantries.

WHAT IS THE BOSS BABY 2 ALL ABOUT?

This sequel takes a much different approach than usual, as we have fast-forwarded in time and both of the lead characters of the first film are adults.  They have drifted apart, living two very different lives.  Tim (James Marsden) is a suburban dad living his day-to-day with that overactive imagination of his.  His younger brother Ted, is, of course, a hedge fund CEO.  The two are brought together again, by Tim’s infant daughter (Amy Sedaris), who is an undercover baby secret agent.  She brings the two in on a new mission, to uncover the dark secrets of Tim’s eldest daughter’s prestigious school and its mysterious founder, Dr. Erwin Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum).

HOW DOES THIS SEQUEL COMPARE TO THE ORIGINAL?

The problem that I had with the first Boss Baby, is that it seemed like a movie that was operating on a single running joke.  Which is hearing Alec Baldwin’s voice coming out of a baby.  And unfortunately, I feel like this sequel is running off of the leftover fumes of that one joke.  But, one thing that I am happy to report is that Family Business doesn’t have nearly as much potty humor as the first.  Which I was very pleasantly shocked by.

WHAT WORKS?

The Boss Baby 2 has a glorious amount of inventive and colorful visuals, especially when we get to see inside Tim’s imagination.  There were some moments that caught me so off guard by how visually stunning they were.  The voice work is also wonderful, with Amy Sedaris being a huge stand-out for me, as Tim’s secret agent baby. And there are plenty of jokes here, some of which I chuckled at, but will for sure make children laugh-out-loud with glee.  That is definitely my biggest takeaway with this new installment… there is no doubt that kids will be entranced by everything that is going on, up on the screen.

WHAT DOESN’T WORK SO WELL?

Besides this film feeling like a one-trick pony, The Boss Baby: Family Business doesn’t know when to slow down.  It is so full of manic energy and bombastic shenanigans, which once again the kids will be okay with, but it’s a bit overwhelming as an adult.  It would have been nice, if the filmmakers took a little more time, to hit on the brakes and to spend time getting to know these characters more.  

I must say that I enjoyed this run-around with the Boss Baby a little bit more than I did the first.  But, it’s hard to not be disappointed with these movies, when there are so many animated films coming out nowadays that are working just as hard for the adults in the audience, as they are for the kids.  Still, The Boss Baby: Family Business will be streaming on Peacock, so it wouldn’t hurt to turn it on for the kiddies at home, because I’m sure they will love it.

The Boss Baby: Family Business will be In Theaters and Streaming Exclusively on Peacock Friday, July 2nd.

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