Movie Review: The Boss Baby: Family Business

 

Michael's Movie Grade: C+

I don't think any of us were asking for a sequel to Boss Baby but this movie turns out to be surprisingly quite fun.

Like the first movie the biggest surprise here is the heart. In fact this is a department in which this sequel tops its predecessor. This film has a simple and straight forward message, "just because you have to grow up doesn't mean you have to grow apart." This may not be an original moral but it is a good one. The relationship between the two brothers is handled very well here and not just through comedic bickering but instead through some truly heartfelt moments. You never don't believe that these are brothers and that is what makes the film work. Equally as well handled is the relationship between Tim and his daughter. This sweet side story doesn't offer anything really new, but it does give some real heartwarming moments.

Like many family movies this film tries to constantly be funny without stopping to catch a breath. This is a hard thing to do right and this movie doesn't fully pull off. There are some really funny moments here, but there are just as many jokes that fall quite flat. Movie comedy often depends more on the quality of the jokes than the quantity. Because of this the film could have easily cut out quite a few of the jokes that don't work, because the ones that do are good enough to hold the film on their own. 

The main storyline of our two heroes against the villain is quite fun even if it never stands out. This plot is over the top silly fun and works quite well as this. This plot certainly feels like a feature length plot of a Saturday morning cartoon, but people like Saturday morning cartoons for a reason. This movie does not try to be anything spectacular in this department and it doesn't have to be. Sometimes silly fun is enough. However I do feel that the villain isn't an especially strong or memorable one. Still he does his job quite well and he works for what this movie is. 

This may not go down as the next animated classic but it isn't supposed to be that. Instead you should enjoy this film for what it is, a fun time at the movies. 

-Michael J. Ruhland.