It’s bad enough that 7-year-old Tim has a new baby brother who completely saps his parents’ attention and energy, but Tim learns that his sibling is actually not at all who or what he appears to be. The infant, or Baby Boss as he is known, is a plant in their home with a scheme to undermine Tim’s parents’ business activities.
Baby Boss sees cute pets as a threat to the appeal of children. The parents’ employer, a pet-selling enterprise, is about to introduce a little creature so adorable that babies will seem terrible in comparison. Tim and Baby Boss decide to strike up a deal. Tim will help the impostor get what he wants in exchange for the Boss wiping their parents’ memory and returning to where babies come from.
“Baby Boss” is a thought-provoking story about sibling rivalries and how many people view their pets as their children. However, these subject matters are likely to go over the heads of the very young. But to keep them entertained, there are some bike-chase scenes and toddlers engaging in toy-to-toy combat. Good films can and do entertain audiences at different levels of sophistication. “Baby Boss” does exactly that.
I am not sure in what time period this story is supposed to take place; the vehicles look like they are from 20 years ago or more, and Tim records Baby Boss speaking like an adult on a cassette tape player. The film features music from many decades. There’s the classic from 1935 “Cheek to Cheek,” “What the World Needs Now” from 1965, LTD’s 1977 hit “Back in Love Again” and from 1979, Kool and the Gang’s “Ladies Night.”
Voices for the characters include Alec Baldwin as Baby Boss, Jimmy Kimmel as Tim’s dad and Lisa Kudrow as his mom.
Can an animated cartoon get a diversity rating? Absolutely! “Baby Boss” earns a “B.” There are a few babies of color in the Baby Boss’ playgroup.
“Baby Boss” is much more than a story about infants. And you’ll enjoy it no matter what your age. It’s a See It!
It’s rated PG for mild, rude humor and is 97 minutes in length.