A noisy, oddball family comedy that works best as a kid-viewed chaos machine and as a satire of babyhood, office culture, and corporate logic. Adults may find the mythology strained and the jokes aggressively broad, but the movie has enough energy, visual invention, and sincerity about sibling bonds to keep it afloat.
The Boss Baby
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Animation · Comedy
Thu · 1h 37m
Director: Tom McGrath
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Miles Bakshi
Overview
A story about how a new baby's arrival impacts a family, told from the point of view of a delightfully unreliable narrator, a wildly imaginative 7 year old named Tim.
Director
Tom McGrath
Cast
Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Miles Bakshi
Curator Review
Verdict
A noisy, oddball family comedy that works best as a kid-viewed chaos machine and as a satire of babyhood, office culture, and corporate logic. Adults may find the mythology strained and the jokes aggressively broad, but the movie has enough energy, visual invention, and sincerity about sibling bonds to keep it afloat.
Best for
families with younger kids
viewers who like loud, fast-paced animation
fans of absurdist kid comedy
people amused by corporate-satire-for-children
adults watching with children rather than alone
Skip if
you want subtle humor
you dislike crude baby jokes
you need a tightly written story
you are allergic to manic, high-volume animation
you expect a warm, sentimental family film without edge
Overview
The Boss Baby is one of those animated movies that feels like it was designed in a boardroom and then set loose by a very mischievous child. Its premise is ridiculous, its mythology is overbuilt, and its jokes swing from clever to groan-worthy, sometimes in the same scene. But the movie also has a real sense of comic momentum, and it commits hard to its own nonsense.
Worth noting
What gives it some staying power is the point of view: Tim’s imagination turns family anxiety into a spy-movie fever dream, and that framing lets the film play with jealousy, attention, and the terror of being replaced. The animation is bright and elastic, and the voice performance at the center gives the whole thing a smug, oddly endearing rhythm.
Bottom line
It is not a great family film in the classic sense, and adults will likely be more aware of the seams than the kids are. Still, if you’re in the right mood for a hyperactive, self-aware cartoon about sibling rivalry, corporate absurdity, and babies as tiny tyrants, it can be more entertaining than its reputation suggests.
Top Letterboxd reviews
hannah (2★) · 3616 likes
imagine being at a hans zimmer concert and he suddenly drops the boss baby soundtrack
James (Schaffrillas) (1★) · 2021 likes
Everything I wanted it to be and more
Patrick Willems (2.5★) · 1979 likes
Did not expect Boss Baby’s mythology to be more confusing than Dune’s
Josh Lewis · 853 likes
Opens with a baby anal penetration joke in the first 5m and only gets more troubling and enigmatic from there...
DirkH (4★) · 813 likes
I saw this with my six year old son. To all grown up types who watched this and complain that it's uninspired and boring, go watch it with a kid (preferably one you know, I do not endorse kidnapping) and then watch them watching it. This film is a complete and utter delight. Things my son took away from this:- It's cool to have an imagination.- A baby showing his ass is pee-your-pants funny.- Puke is fun.- Babies are scary. Especially with grown up voices.- Something about family and stuff.
Themes
sibling rivalry, family adjustment, childhood imagination, corporate satire, identity and belonging, jealousy, parental attention, absurdist comedy