Considering that it’s based on a cute but pretty story-lite picture book, this animated comedy exceeds expectations - especially if you’re a fan of Baldwin’s work on 30 Rock. His character in The Boss Baby is pretty much a miniature Jack Donaghy; Boss Baby throws money at problems, dismisses someone as a "hippie, " and, when asked to deliver a cutting insult, comes up with "you went to community college!"(There’s also an in-joke reference to Baldwin’s cutthroat-businessman role in Glengarry Glen Ross that may make some parents smile.) And the script in general is pretty witty, with clever lines and unexpected twists. Tim’s Gandalf-like talking-wizard alarm clock, "Wizzie, " is funny, as is a sequence in which Boss Baby tries to encourage Tim to ride his bike by rattling off lines from motivational posters.
The movie is sure to give families with siblings a way to talk about the challenges of being an older brother or sister - with the nice reassurance that there’s always enough love to go around. And Tim and Boss Baby do learn to work together; their eventual affection for each other is sweet. That said, the puppy mill-esque portrayal of Puppy Co. is sure to irk dog lovers, and Tim’s parents are clueless even by cartoon-parent standards. But if you can overlook those issues - and you don’t mind some pretty epic barf scenes - The Boss Baby is a fun, if not instant-classic, movie that parents and kids can enjoy together.