The Boss Baby: Family Business Parent Guide

Many years after the events of The Boss Baby, Tim (James Marsden) and Ted (Alec Baldwin) are all grown up. Tim is a stay-at-home dad to his two daughters, Tabitha (Ariana Greenblatt) and Tina (Amy Sedaris), and Ted is a big time CEO taking the business world by storm. Over the years the two brothers have drifted apart, hardly seeing or speaking to each other. When Tim discovers that baby Tina is an agent for Baby Corp., he and Ted must reunite to save the world, yet again.

I have not seen the original Boss Baby, so I can’t compare the sequel to it. Instead, I shall judge the sequel based purely on its own merits. Luckily for me, it’s not bad! I will say, in way of introduction, that you have to turn your brain off for this one. If I really put on my English major analytical hat, I could tear this film to shreds, but I instead chose to turn that off and just let the madness wash over me. If you don’t think about the plot too much, The Boss Baby: Family Business is a fun, wild ride the whole family can enjoy.

One of the film’s greatest strengths is in its casting. Marsden and Baldwin are both fantastic, but the real cherry on top is Jeff Goldblum in his role as the villain. Goldblum nails the balance between ridiculous and heartfelt that I think the production was going for. The message of the movie is also powerful, focusing on the importance of familial relationships, even for adults. There are also themes around the importance of parental guidance, teamwork, and self-confidence. Something I greatly appreciate is the normalizing of stay-at-home dads. At no point is Tim made fun or emasculated for this choice, and his accomplishments as a dad are viewed on the same level as Ted’s career achievements.

On the other hand, the story is frenetic and fast paced, with action scenes flying at the audience at breakneck speed. There are some quiet, heartfelt moments, but a majority of the film moves from one crazy caper to another. This strategy stops young audiences from having a chance to get bored and prevents adults from having time to think about how illogical the plot is. Along with that manic energy, there’s a fair amount of potty humor and cartoon violence, which might turn off particularly sensitive viewers.

Overall, I enjoyed Family Business, and I’d recommend it to families looking for some mindless entertainment. The theatre I was in was filled with children and they all seemed to be having a great time, judging by all the laughter. My own son, who accompanied me, said he liked it and especially enjoyed a certain heartfelt moment at the end, which I won’t spoil. For DreamWorks Animation, who are famously spotty with their quality, this doesn’t reach anywhere near the heights the studio is capable of, but it also doesn’t fall as far as some of their biggest flops. If I were their boss, I’d call that a win.