The Boss Baby (2017)

*Get the film on Amazon here*

A perfectly likable story with an energetic presentation, fun look, and great soundtrack, is undermined by an unreliable narrator and screenplay.

Seven year old Tim (voiced by Miles Bakshi, with Tobey Maguire providing adult Tim narration) is content as the only child of a couple (voiced by Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow) who work at Puppyco, a pet company run by Francis Francis (voiced by Steve Buscemi). Tim's perfect existence is disrupted by an unnamed new baby brother (voiced by Alec Baldwin) who quickly takes over the family, and hoards all of their parents' love. The baby is actually on a secret mission from BabyCorp to discover what Francis is up to in the launch of a brand new product that might change babyhood forever.

Tim's overactive imagination is fun to watch, as is his reaction to the new creature in the house. Alec Baldwin is undeniably a talent- his voicing of the titular corporatethink baby, later named Ted, is perfection and had me laughing. Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow are so bland in their roles, I forgot they were in the film; I haven't laughed at Kimmel in years and the streak continues. Buscemi is fun as Francis. Certain scenes stand out that I really enjoyed: the baby's corporate lifestyle and beliefs, Tim's need for his parents' undivided attention (we never see any of his own friends), pop culture references tailor-made for parents, fun action pieces, and so on. These great scenes don't meld together into a great film. Is the entire story a figment of Tim's imagination? Does the baby exist at all? Or Francis Francis? The mission the baby is sent on is an afterthought, never earning the same amount of time as Tim and the baby's relationship, so the menace and danger are lessened. The screenplay takes a lot of conveniences that tested my patience, and weren't answered in the inevitable sequel.

"The Baby Boss" was a good time for the kiddos, and I wasn't dreading putting it on the TV for the umpteenth time- at least not with the kind of dread reserved for "Raya and the Last Dragon" or the "Trolls" films. Followed by motion picture and television sequels.

Stats:
(2017) 96 min. (* * *) out of five stars
-Directed by Tom McGrath
-Written by Michael McCullers based on the book by Marla Frazee
-Cast: Alec Baldwin, Miles Bakshi, Steve Buscemi, Tobey Maguire, Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy Kimmel, James McGrath, Conrad Vernon, ViviAnn Yee, Eric Bell Jr., David Soren, Edie Mirman, Walt Dohrn, James Ryan
(PG)- Physical violence, some animated nudity, very mild sexual references, mild adult situations
*Academy Awards*
-Best Animated Feature Film (lost to "Coco")