Film Opinion South Africa

Who's the boss, baby?

As the only child of two devoted parents, Timothy Templeton had the perfect life. That is, until the baby arrives. In a cab. And a power suit.

Timothy's family idyll is completely shattered by the new arrival. Between The Baby and their work as the marketing team for Puppy Co, Timothy's parents no longer have any time for him.

But Boss Baby hasn't joined the Templeton family to be... well, The Baby. No, he's on a secret mission on behalf of Baby Corp head quarters. Figures have shown that puppies have begun to surpass babies in the family love stakes. More people are deciding to get puppies than want babies. Puppy Co is launching a new product at the upcoming pet convention that is set to take the remaining love share from babies and destroy Baby Corp. Boss Baby has been sent to find out what the product is and stop the launch.

As soon as Timothy finds out that Boss Baby will go back to Baby Corp HQ as soon as the mission is over, leaving little Tim to be an only child again, he jumps on-board to help Boss Baby succeed.

The hysterical adventure of sibling rivalry follows them to Las Vegas, where they learn about brotherly love and what it means to have family.

Voiced by Alec Baldwin, the Boss Baby is a smooth-talking little tyrant who is all about business. (Reminiscent of Baldwin's character in the sitcom 30 Rock, I kept waiting for him to say "Lemon.") Timothy, voiced by Miles Bakshi and Tobey Maguire as an adult, is a sweet kid with a wild imagination who gives the Boss Baby pause for thought about his corporate-ladder-climbing aspirations.

The movie is a genuinely laugh-out-loud romp that doesn't rely on potty humour to hold it together. The characters are charming and quirky, with Timothy's vivid imagination reminding us of a the joys of childhood... but the star of the show was definitely The Boss Baby, with his adult attitude in a pint size body being a truly comedic contrast as he winds up poor Tim while wrapping everyone else around his baby finger. The movie will enjoyed by older viewers as much, if not more, than the younger ones.

Parents with very young ones should be aware of the PG rating - the zombie babies, conjured by Tim's overactive imagination, may be a little frightening for sensitive littlies. (That said, my 6-year-old didn't bat an eyelash.)

Having been warned about Tim's imagination early on, I have to admit that I expected quite a different ending, but that's all the spoilers I'm willing to share...

For lovers of animation like myself, The Boss Baby is definitely one you'll want to add to the head of your collection.

Not sold? Check out the trailer here...

Let's do Biz