The Boss Babies (2017)

Directed by: Tom McGrath | 97 minutes | animation, comedy, family | Original voice cast: Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Tobey Maguire, Miles Christopher Bakshi, James McGrath, Conrad Vernon, VivAnn Yee, Eric Bell Jr., David Soren, Edie Mirman, James Ryan, Walt Dohrn, Jules Winter , Nina Zoe Bakshi, Tom McGrath | Dutch voice cast: Guido Weijers, Stijn van der Plas, Buddy Vedder

Anyone who was the oldest child at home recognizes the feeling. As soon as a new brother or sister arrives, the fun is over. If you are the only child in the family, you will get all the attention from your parents. But as soon as that intruder – for that is how the newcomer is regarded – is there, you no longer exist to your father and mother. The baby not only demands all the time and attention, but is also responsible for buying all kinds of new things. Grandpas and grandmothers no longer come by to see you, but walk past your beam because they want to see the newest member. And the baby itself? He just cries, spits, poops and drools. At the same time, he determines what does or does not happen in the house. Of course this is heavily exaggerated, but the changes in a family with the arrival of a new child do form the basis for ‘The Boss Baby’ (2017). This DreamWorks Animation animated film is inspired by Marla Frazee’s picture book of the same title, about a baby in three-piece gray who arranges nocturnal ‘meetings’, makes demands and shows in his own way who really is boss. at home. All with a big wink, of course. The baby as CEO, it’s a nice metaphor for the utter disruption a new child can cause in a family.

The baby in ‘The Boss Baby’ speaks with the voice of Alec Baldwin and is not only a tough businessman, but also a true cynic. He also does not come into the world as babies usually come into the world, but is driven by a taxi. It was delivered by Baby Corp, a factory in heaven where all babies come from (we saw a similar factory last year in the Warner Animation-produced animated film ‘Storks’, 2016). Most babies are sent directly to a family, but the chosen ones end up in Baby Corp’s “management” department and are sent to Earth on a special assignment. In the case of The Boss Baby to the Templeton family. The arrival of this curious child is viewed with dismay by older brother Tim (Miles Bakshi). Previously he had exclusive rights in the house; all his parents’ attention went to him. They read three bedtime stories every night and sang a song to him together. But now that the baby is here, that’s all over. Tim soon discovers that this is no ordinary baby, but that he can talk in fantastical sentences and have discussions with his ‘team’. When confronting the baby, he explains his secret mission: The Boss Baby has been sent to Earth to protect the babies. Their place as most beloved housemates is quickly being taken over by puppies, and Mom and Dad Templeton (Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow) have just left the Puppy Co., a multinational company about to launch a new pet: a puppy that never gets old. It’s up to The Boss Baby to stop this. Tim and he decide to strike a deal. Tim helps the baby complete his task when he promises to leave the family alone afterward, so that Tim can get all of his parents’ attention again. But during their mission, the brand new brothers grow closer and closer to each other.

The story of ‘The Boss Baby’ is rather bizarre; a baby who plays the boss, we can imagine something with that. But the whole Puppy Co. thing sprang from a very creative mind. To say that we were able to get carried away by it…? Well no. The story is simply too far-fetched and lacks charm. What does work are the scenes in which we are drawn into Tim’s immense fantasy, partly because those fragments work with different animation styles. It is therefore a wise choice for screenwriter Michael McCullers and director Tom McGrath to tell the story from Tim’s perspective, because he is significantly more likeable than that worm in a suit. The film tries to captivate its audience with a good dose of humor, and the pranks will appeal to the youthful target group, but compared to the striking quirkiness of Pixar, the jokes here are flat and bland. ‘The Boss Baby’ bets on visual spectacle, and it all looks excellent, but it is busy, a lot and bombastic. Much shouting and little wool. The emotion disappears in that cacophony. This is especially noticeable in the early scenes; Tim being sung to ‘Blackbird’ by his parents. We feel that. The song comes back a few more times, but the impact of that first time quickly fades away. Less is more is a tip that we would like to pass on to the makers of ‘The Boss Baby’. This film was undoubtedly made with the best of intentions, but to find the heart and soul of the film you must first struggle through a thick layer of noisy and hysterical crowds.