The Templeton brothers have become adults and drifted away from each other, but a new boss baby with a cutting-edge approach is about to bring them together again – and inspire a new family business.
Tim (James Marsden) and Theodore Templeton (Alec Baldwin) have now grown up and are fully-fledged adults. They are in a strained relationship and are not as close as they were as kids. Tim has his own children and discovers that one of his daughters, Tina (Amy Sedaris), is actually a boss baby herself. She tasks her dad and her uncle with a secret mission that turns them into kids for 48 hours to help prevent an evil scheme from Dr. Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum), who secretly wants to get rid of every parent in the world.
Remember how the first “Boss Baby” has a pretty nonsensical and convoluted plot? The sequel has the exact same problem. This film confirms that the events of the first film are real and did not totally take place in Tim’s overly active imagination. And this film is not really about the new boss baby, Tina, it still centers on Tim and Theodore’s brotherly relationship.
One thing that does elevate this film somewhat is the voice cast. A lot of actors I like have a role in this film. Jeff Goldblum as the villain, Amy Sedaris as the new boss baby, and while Tobey McGuire does not reprise the role as Tim, I liked James Marsden as the character.
I feel like aging up the main characters was kind of a weird choice since the film just reverts them back into kids. I understand that they were trying to show that the brothers were estranged, but if they are children for 90% of the film, why didn’t they just keep them as kids?
The animation is well-done. Like the first “Boss Baby,” I was impressed how the animators managed to capture Tim’s imagination. There are some very colorful and stunning sequences that take place in Tim’s mind, I just wish we had more of these scenes.
Goldblum’s evil plan also makes little to no sense. He starts up super competitive and prestigious schools for children – one of which Tim’s daughter, Tabitha (Ariana Greenblatt), goes to – and wants to do away with parents. Ultimately because he did not like being told no.
Overall, “The Boss Baby: Family Business” is an enjoyable enough kids’ film and they will definitely get more of a kick out of it than adults. The movie has a typical but nonetheless warming message about family at its center. The biggest issue I had with the film had to do with the plot, but the great voice cast helped me overlook that.
In Theaters Friday, July 2nd
