Boss Baby confuses critics, but amuses everyone else

Movie Title:  The Boss Baby

Grade:  B

Rating:  PG, 97 minutes

In a Nutshell:  With great animation and voice talent, this film has some confusing elements that baffle adults.  But let’s face it, it’s made for kids and they simply won’t care that a lot of the plot points don’t make sense.  They’re just going to laugh and move on to the next animated flick.

Uplifting theme: 

• “There’s plenty of love for everyone.” – Tim (Miles Christopher Bakshi)
• “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.”  The Boss Baby spouts off a bunch of platitudes like that during one particular scene.
• Family is the most important thing.
• Imagination

Things I liked:

• Alec Baldwin was really fantastic.  He added to the skilled animation and the animation added to his performance. Outstanding blend. A recent news report explained that he got sober on Feb. 23, 1985 — but if he hadn’t, the “Boss Baby” star is confident he would have straightened out at some point. Baldwin, 58, detailed his experiences with substance abuse, addiction, and recovery in his new book: Nevertheless: A Memoir hitting shelves Tuesday.
• Tobey Maguire’s voice always makes for the perfect, reflective narrator who has become wise through time and experience.
• It’s cute in 3D, but not necessary.
• The animation and sound effects are so great that drool and farts have texture.  Another outstanding blend.
• The parents in the audience I sat with absolutely loved the assembly line scene at the beginning of the movie.  Adorable.
• I got a kick out of the Elvis scene, maybe because I live in Las Vegas.  When there are a bunch of Elvis, are they called “Elvi”?
• Some cute scene transitions.
• I loved the magical sound of the laughing baby whenever the Boss Baby would revert back to being a baby.  Is that from a YouTube video?
• I love how Dreamworks always takes important items from the movie and incorporates them into their logo at the beginning of the film.
• I used to be the National Marketing Director for a company.  I thought it was hilarious that the babies who didn’t laugh were the ones who went into management of the company.  Ha ha
• “Wake up halflings!” alarm clock which featured lines from The Lord of the Rings: Motion Picture Trilogy Blu-ray.  I just finished binge-watching that awesome trilogy again.  Such great movies.
• Poopies diaper brand.  Ha ha
• Some things really made me laugh out loud.  There are plenty of jokes and gags for parents to get a kick out of.
• Fans of Jimmy Kimmel Live! will enjoy hearing him voice the dad.

Things I didn’t like:

• It was clever to animate Tim’s imagination sequences differently than the main story line, but by the end of the movie, you’re not exactly sure if the whole thing was supposed to be Tim's imagination or real or what?
• Surely, some people at PETA are going to protest that Puppy Co. dangled puppies from the ceiling.  Funny visual though.
• Lots of anal gags and slapping.  The film has lame lines like “Fart! Poop! Doodie!” – Boss Baby
• The mother is pregnant, but….??? 

Interesting lines:

• “You can’t miss what you haven’t had.” – Boss Baby
• “Sometimes I rescued my parents; sometimes they rescued me.” – Tim

Funny lines:

• “Cookies are for closers.” – The Boss Baby
• “I don’t wear nautical.  And it’s not even Friday!” – Boss Baby
• “Well, isn’t that sanitary?” – Mom (Lisa Kudrow) as she looks at a ball pit made of puppies
•  “We can share!” – Tim

“You obviously didn’t go to business school.” – Boss Baby

• “I don’t have a quote for this!” – Boss Baby
• “Welcome ladies and gentlemen….and those in Coach.” – flight attendant announcement
• “So, you went to a community college, is it?” – Boss Baby
• “I’m going to write the perfect memo.  The perfect memo can change the world. ” – Boss Baby
• “If people knew where babies really come from, they’d never have any.  Same goes for hot dogs, by the way.” – Boss Baby

Tips for parents: 

• You see a lot of baby bums, but thankfully, the front “naughty bits” are blurred out, which is actually a funny visual.
• So, you probably shouldn’t give your son the middle names of Leslie.  Just sayin…
• Be prepared…your kids may ask you where babies really come from…

Adult jokes lost on kids because they’re based on the 1960’s—1970’s pop culture:

• Cassette tapes
• Six Million Dollar Man Season 6 5 TV show sound's bionic effects
• Julia Child - The French Chef on the TV
• Mary Poppins reference – By the way, did you know Disney is currently re-making Mary Poppins?  The musical nanny will be played by the lovely Emily Blunt.  Your head will explode when I tell you who’s going to play Dick Van Dyke’s role: Alexander Hamilton own Lin-Manuel Miranda!  An A-list joins the cast: Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury, Julie Walters, Ben Wishaw and even an appearance by 91 year old Dick Van Dyke!  It’s going to be awesome!  It’s supposed to hit theaters Christmas Day, December 25, 2018.
• Blackbird - The Beatles Album, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
• The Thor pose
• Cabbage Patch Kids 11" Drink N' Wet Newborn reference
• Tim eats an old version of TV dinners from the 1960’s made out of aluminum pans.

@trinaboice