The Boss Baby: Family Business
The Boss Baby: Family Business | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Tom McGrath |
Screenplay by | Michael McCullers |
Story by |
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Based on | The Boss Baby and The Bossier Baby by Marla Frazee |
Produced by | Jeff Hermann |
Starring |
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Edited by |
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Music by |
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Production company | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 107 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $82 million[2] |
Box office | $37.9 million[3][4] |
The Boss Baby: Family Business[5] (known in other territories as The Boss Baby 2) is a 2021 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 2010 picture book The Boss Baby and its 2016 sequel The Bossier Baby by Marla Frazee, produced by DreamWorks Animation, and distributed by Universal Pictures. The second installment in the The Boss Baby franchise and the sequel to the 2017 film, the film is directed by Tom McGrath, from a screenplay by Michael McCullers with a story by McGrath and McCullers, and stars the voices of Alec Baldwin, James Marsden, Amy Sedaris, Ariana Greenblatt, Jeff Goldblum, Eva Longoria, Jimmy Kimmel, and Lisa Kudrow. The plot follows the now-adult Templeton brothers (Baldwin and Marsden) who are brought back together after the new Boss Baby (Sedaris) requests their help to stop a professor (Goldblum) from erasing childhoods worldwide.
The film was theatrically released in the United States on July 2, 2021 in traditional and select RealD 3D and Dolby Cinema locations, by Universal Pictures; it also is streaming on paid tiers of Peacock for 60 days. The film has grossed $36 million worldwide, with the Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus calling it "a painless diversion for the kids".
Plot
Set 40 years after the events of the first film,[6] Tim Templeton is now fully grown and lives with his wife Carol and their two daughters, 7-year-old Tabitha and infant Tina. Tim's younger brother Ted is now a successful CEO and is never around, instead sending lavish gifts to Tim and his family. Tabitha is exhibiting more grown-up behavior, and one night while a discouraged Tim wonders about the person his daughter is becoming, he hears something from Tina's room. He discovers that Tina is a Boss Baby, just as Ted once was, and that she has been assigned to get Ted there for a special mission. Tim refuses to call, saying that he will never come, and encourages Tina to go back to sleep. However, Tina leaves a false voicemail for Ted, luring him to the Templeton's house.
The next morning Ted arrives and Tim tries to explain to him that Tina is a Boss Baby and Ted just does not remember that he was one, too. Tina reveals herself as a Boss Baby to Ted and gives them both magic pacifiers to visit BabyCorp. Tina introduces the brothers to a new formula that will allow them to turn back into children for 48 hours in order to go undercover to Tabitha's school and figure out what Dr. Erwin Armstrong, founder and principal of the school, is planning behind parents' back.
At the school, Tim, now as his 7-year-old self, follows Tabitha to her class while baby Ted is placed with other babies. Ted rallies the babies to help him get out of the playroom so that he can go to Armstrong's office to investigate. Tim tries to get sent to the principal's office as well by disrupting class, but is instead put in "The Box" for timeout. Ted discovers that Armstrong is actually a baby himself, having run away from home after realizing that he was smarter than his parents and now makes money by creating popular phone apps. His ultimate plan is to get rid of every parent on B-Day, so that they can not tell their children what to do anymore. After being unable to get ahold of BabyCorp and seeing that the brothers are once again drifting apart, Tina makes a show of quitting and says that they will complete the mission themselves.
On the night of the holiday pageant, where Tabitha is supposed to sing a solo, the brothers and Tina plan to expose Armstrong as a fraud. However, they learn that B-Day is set to happen that night through Armstrong's new app, QT-Snap, which will hypnotize the parents (including Tim's parents, Ted Sr. and Janice, and his wife, Carol) into mindless zombies. Both Tim and Ted are caught by Armstrong's ninja babies and are put in The Box, which slowly starts to fill with water. Tabitha sings her solo, but when she sees that Tim has not showed up as he promised, she runs off the stage crying. She is consoled by Tina, who reveals her identity and her mission, and she agrees to help her older sister by getting to the server and shutting down QT-Snap before it can go worldwide. Ted is able to call Precious, Tabitha's female pet pony, into the school, as she breaks them out of The Box.
Tim and Ted reach the server first, but they are stopped by Armstrong, who calls the zombie parents for backup. While the brothers hold them back as the formula starts to wear off, Tina and Tabitha get up to the server. Tabitha is able to hack in and pull up the shutdown screen, but the keyboard is destroyed by Armstrong. The sisters then set off a candy volcano using Mentos and soda, destroying the servers and turn all parents back to normal. Tina then reveals that bringing Tim and Ted back together was her true mission, and the whole Templeton family gathers to celebrate Christmas including a snowball fight, while Armstrong returns to his own family.
Cast
- Alec Baldwin as Ted Templeton Jr. / Boss Baby, a former executive of BabyCorp, Tim's younger brother, Tina and Tabitha's uncle, Carol's brother-in-law, and Ted Sr. and Janice's son.
- James Marsden as Tim Templeton, Ted Jr.'s older brother, Carol's husband, Tina and Tabitha's father, and Ted Sr. and Janice's son. He was previously voiced by Tobey Maguire and Miles Bakshi in the first film, where Maguire voiced the adult Tim and Bakshi voiced the younger Tim.
- Amy Sedaris as Tina Templeton, an undercover and new executive of BabyCorp, Tim and Carol's younger daughter, Tabitha's younger sister, Ted's younger niece, and Ted Sr. and Janice's younger granddaughter.
- Ariana Greenblatt as Tabitha Templeton, Tina's older sister, Tim and Carol's highly intelligent older daughter, Ted's older niece, and Ted Sr. and Janice's older granddaughter. She was previously voiced by Nina Zoe Bakshi from the first film.
- Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Erwin Armstrong, an intelligent baby with a plot to remove all grownups.
- Eva Longoria as Carol Templeton, Tim's wife, Ted Jr.'s sister-in-law, Ted Sr. and Janice's daughter-in-law, and mother of Tina and Tabitha.
- Jimmy Kimmel as Ted Templeton Sr., Janice's husband, Ted Jr. and Tim's father, Carol's father-in-law, and Tina and Tabitha's grandfather.
- Lisa Kudrow as Janice Templeton, Ted Sr.'s wife, Ted Jr. and Tim's mother, Carol's mother-in-law, and Tina and Tabitha's grandmother.
- James McGrath as Wizzie, Tim's Gandalf-esque alarm clock from his childhood.[7]
Production
On May 25, 2017, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation announced that a sequel was set to be released on March 26, 2021, with Alec Baldwin reprising his role.[8][9][10] On May 17, 2019, it was announced that Tom McGrath returned as director and Jeff Hermann, whose credits include Bilby, Bird Karma, and Marooned, replaced Ramsey Ann Naito as producer.[11] On September 17, 2020, Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Greenblatt, Eva Longoria, James Marsden (replacing Tobey Maguire), and Amy Sedaris joined the cast, alongside returning actors Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow.[12]
Portions of production were done remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]
Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro, who previously composed the score for the first film, returned for the sequel,[14] while Jacob Collier wrote a cover of Cat Stevens' "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out".[15][16] Songwriter Gary Barlow of Finding Neverland fame also contributed with a brand new song performed by Greenblatt called "Together We Stand".[15]
Music
The Boss Baby: Family Business (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)[15] | ||||
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Film score by Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro | ||||
Released | July 2, 2021 | |||
Studio | DreamWorks Animation | |||
Genre | Score | |||
Label | Back Lot Music | |||
DreamWorks Animation soundtrack chronology | ||||
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All music is composed by Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro, except as noted
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
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1. | "To Baby Corp" | 2:02 | |
2. | "Ted Comes Home" | 2:27 | |
3. | "Bedtime" | 0:58 | |
4. | "The Attic" | 3:55 | |
5. | "Crisis at Baby Corp" | 1:54 | |
6. | "The Secret Formula" | 0:58 | |
7. | "The Chase" | 3:46 | |
8. | "Acorn School" | 3:58 | |
9. | "Meet the Templetons" | 3:33 | |
10. | "Armstrong" | 2:49 | |
11. | "Nightmare Court" | 2:16 | |
12. | "We Overslept" | 1:02 | |
13. | "They're Home!" | 1:51 | |
14. | "Family Dinner" | 3:44 | |
15. | "Latchkey Kid" | 0:52 | |
16. | "Marcos Comes Home" | 2:26 | |
17. | "Baby Pep Rally" | 2:13 | |
18. | "School Days" | 2:55 | |
19. | "She Can Talk" | 1:01 | |
20. | "Stop the Show" | 1:49 | |
21. | "It's Back On" | 3:18 | |
22. | "Mission Planning" | 2:21 | |
23. | "Shutdown the Server" | 5:23 | |
24. | "Yay Templetons" | 4:05 | |
25. | "The Greatest Gift" | 2:36 | |
26. | "If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out" | James Marsden, Ariana Greenblatt, and Jacob Collier | 2:23 |
27. | "Together We Stand" | Ariana Greenblatt | 3:16 |
Release
The Boss Baby: Family Business was theatrically released in the United States on July 2, 2021, in regular showings and in select RealD 3D and Dolby Cinema by Universal Pictures; it also streamed on paid tiers of Peacock for 60 days.[17] It was originally scheduled for release on March 26, 2021, but was delayed to September 17, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before moving to July 2, 2021.[18][19][20]
According to Samba TV, 783,000 households streamed the film on Peacock over its opening weekend.[21]
Reception
Box office
As of July 11, 2021[update], The Boss Baby: Family Business has grossed $34.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $37.9 million.[3][4]
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Universal's other release The Forever Purge, and was projected to gross around $15 million from 3,640 theaters in its opening weekend.[22][2] The film made $7.7 million on its first day, including $1.31 million from Thursday night previews, slightly down from the $1.5 million made by the first installment. It went on to debut to $17.3 million, finishing second at the box office behind Universal's own F9. With Universal's F9, Family Business, and The Forever Purge finishing in the top three spots, it marked the first time a single studio accomplished the feat since February 2005.[23]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 47% based on 75 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "It's more C-level than C-suite, but as a painless diversion for the kids, this Boss Baby manages some decent Family Business."[1] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 40 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[24] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale (an improvement over the first film's "A–"), while PostTrak reported 72% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 49% saying they would definitely recommend it.[23]
Thomas Floyd of The Washington Post gave the film 2.5/4 stars, writing that "...there's a severe case of sequel-itis, as returning director Tom McGrath and screenwriter Michael McCullers go to farcical lengths to re-create the original movie's gags, story beats and character dynamics. Still, Family Business manages to largely improve on its predecessor, with the help of savvy casting and surprisingly pointed social satire."[25] Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Michael Ordoña said: "It's more of the same, for better or worse, but likely with enough bells and whistles — especially those new characters — to please younger fans."[26]
Writing for The A.V. Club, Katie Rife gave the film a "C+" grade and said: "...it's nothing to get worked up about, in part because this Boss Baby moves too quickly to inspire thought about much of anything. Compared to the first film, Family Business moves along at a swift and stimulating clip, with fewer diversions into world-building and hallucinatory internal logic."[27] Carlos Aguilar of the TheWrap wrote: "Family Business offers an array of half-baked conflicts, all crying out to be noticed, while the creators are apparently unsure of which requires the most urgent attention."[28]
Possible sequel
In June 2021, during a Q&A with Alec Baldwin and Amy Sedaris, a third Boss Baby film was announced to be in early development.[29]
References
- ^ a b "The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (June 30, 2021). "Box Office: 'F9' to Stay on Top as 'Boss Baby' Sequel, 'Forever Purge' and 'Zola' Open in Theaters". Variety. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ a b "The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "The Boss Baby: Family Business (2021)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (September 17, 2020). "'The Boss Baby: Family Business': Jeff Goldblum, James Marsden, Eva Longoria, Ariana Greenblatt & Amy Sedaris Join Alec Baldwin In DreamWorks Animation Sequel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ Welk, Brian (July 2, 2021). "'The Forever Purge' and 'Boss Baby' Sequel Each Earn $1.3 Million at Thursday Box Office". TheWrap. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ The Boss Baby: Family Business Voice Cast Actors in Real Life
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 25, 2017). "Alec Baldwin Returns In 'The Boss Baby: Family Business', Crawling To Theaters In 2021". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (May 25, 2017). "'Boss Baby 2' With Alec Baldwin to Hit Theaters in Spring 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 25, 2018). "DreamWorks Animation Stakes Release Dates For 2021 & Beyond". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Amidi, Amid (May 17, 2019). "'Boss Baby 2' Will Be Tom McGrath's Sixth Feature Film At Dreamworks". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ Kit, Borys (September 17, 2020). "Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Greenblatt, Eva Longoria Join 'The Boss Baby: Family Business'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 8, 2020). "How Animated Pics Like 'Tom & Jerry', 'SpongeBob Movie', 'Sing 2', Skydance's 'Luck' & More Are Working Through The COVID-19 Crisis". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
- ^ Ames, Jeff (August 19, 2020). "Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro Return to Score 'The Boss Baby 2'". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c The Boss Baby Family Business Soundtrack Album Details
- ^ 'The Boss Baby: Family Business': DreamWorks Celebrates Childhood Imagination with Retro 2D Look
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (May 24, 2021). "'Boss Baby 2' to Hit Theaters and Peacock on Same Day". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (December 28, 2020). "'Boss Baby' Sequel Delays Release to September 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ Welk, Brian (December 28, 2020). "'The Boss Baby' Sequel Bumped to September 2021, 'The Bad Guys' Moves to 2022". TheWrap. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ Giampietro, Damian (December 28, 2020). "'The Boss Baby 2' Release Date Delayed 6 Months To September 2021". Screen Rant. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 7, 2021). "'Boss Baby' Sequel's First-Weekend Peacock Viewership Tops 'Cruella' On Disney+ By 14%, Says Samba TV". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 29, 2021). "Universal Will Own Top Three Spots At July 4th Box Office In Rare Feat". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 2, 2021). "Universal's Double Feature Thursday: 'Boss Baby 2' & 'Forever Purge' Each Earn $1.3M". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ "The Boss Baby: Family Business Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ Floyd, Thomas (June 30, 2021). "'Boss Baby' sequel offers decent return on investment, with savvy casting and pointed social satire". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
- ^ Ordoña, Michael (June 30, 2021). "Review: All grown up, yet still in diapers, an overstuffed 'Boss Baby 2' feeds the machine". TheWrap. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ Rife, Katie (June 30, 2021). "Meet the new Boss Baby, pretty much the same as the old Boss Baby". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
- ^ Aguilar, Carlos (June 30, 2021). "'Boss Baby 2' Film Review: Sequel Shares the First Film's Few Charms and Many Problems". TheWrap. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
- ^ DreamWorks Animation [@Dreamworks] (June 21, 2021). "Join Alec and Amy for a Twitter Q&A later today! Submit questions using #AskAlecandAmy" (Tweet). Retrieved July 7, 2021 – via Twitter.
External links
- 2021 films
- 2020s American animated films
- 2021 3D films
- 2021 comedy films
- 2021 computer-animated films
- 3D animated films
- American 3D films
- American adventure comedy films
- American buddy films
- American children's animated comedy films
- American computer-animated films
- American films
- American sequel films
- American spy comedy films
- DreamWorks Animation animated films
- Films about babies
- Films based on children's books
- Films directed by Tom McGrath
- Films scored by Hans Zimmer
- Films set in the 2010s
- Films with screenplays by Michael McCullers
- Rapid human age change in fiction
- The Boss Baby (franchise)
- Universal Pictures animated films
- Universal Pictures films