Imagine Alec Baldwin in a baby’s body, wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. You can take two minutes to laugh at that thought. If you’ve loved Baldwin in 30 Rock , The Boss Baby would be a treat for you, at least initially. It’s almost as if the film is a prelude to Jack Donaghy, Baldwin’s character in the sitcom. But if you don’t get this reference, you’re missing out on a big fat inside joke.
In fact, the film itself seems like one big fat inside joke, made by a bunch of babies for babies. At the Templeton home, seven-year-old Tim is struggling to garner the attention of his parents after the arrival of a baby who is always, inexplicably, wearing a suit. The baby (voiced by Baldwin) turns out to be a corporate honcho at Baby Corp, where human offspring are mass produced. The two brothers get together to fight Puppy Co., which produces babies’ biggest competition: puppies.
Cute, right? No. Do not fall for it, if you’re not a parent being tugged by your kids to the cinema hall. What starts off as a hilarious setup, quickly snowballs into unending chases between the kids and the evil workers at Puppy Co. And you know they are too long when a kid in the theatre yelps, “Mum, when is this movie going to end?!”.
Despite targeting kids through its plot and execution, the one-liners in the film are clearly meant for adults. When Tim innocently tells the baby, “Dad says, those who can do, do. And those who can’t, supervise”, Boss Baby wryly responds, “Your dad’s a hippie”.
Clearly, the film has so much potential; not just in being funnier but also delving into a child’s psychology. Like Inside Out did. Unfortunately, The Boss Baby is so caught up in being silly that it remains blithely unaware of its detachment from a child’s psyche and the possibility of being perceptive. It instead chooses to half-heartedly throw in moments of pseudo Pixar-like depth.
Loosely based on a picture book of the same name, written and illustrated by Marla Frazee, the film is visually enjoyable. There’s a lot of physical comedy too, some of which is funny. But the requirement to endure bulky, blotchy 3D glasses for an hour and half is beyond me. The film seldom warrants these three dimensional effects, unless you want to see baby butts and tummies protruding out of the screen.
What? That’s your thing? Then this movie is for you.
