Story
Many years after 7-year-old Tim discovered that his baby brother, Ted, was a special agent for secret organisation Baby Corp, the Templeton brothers have grown up but also grown apart. Ted (Alec Baldwin) is now a successful and extremely busy CEO, and Tim (James Marsden) is a married, stay-at-home father.
Tim is worried about his 8-year-old daughter, Tabitha (Ariana Greenblatt). He has been struggling to connect with Tabitha and is worried that she’s so ambitious and focused on excelling at school that she forgets to be a child. On top of this, Tim discovers that his baby, Tina (Amy Sedaris), is in fact a ‘Boss Baby’ working for Baby Corp! Tina is assigned to getting intel about Dr Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum), the founder of a global network of schools, because Baby Corp suspects that he has evil plans. And who could be better suited to join the mission than the former dream team, Tim and Ted?
Thanks to a magic formula, Tim and Ted are transformed back to their young selves. This allows them to infiltrate Dr Armstrong’s school, which also happens to be the school Tabitha has just started attending. Will Tina, Tim and Ted uncover Dr Armstrong’s sinister plans? Will Tim and Ted be able to rekindle their brotherly bond? And will Tabitha allow herself to take her time growing up?
Themes
The Boss Baby: Family Business has some violence. For example:
- There’s frequent action and comedy violence. This includes people getting grabbed, hit, pushed and chased. People also have things thrown or shot at them.
- Children who misbehave in class are locked in ‘the box’ for a time-out. This is set up like a seaside relaxation spa, but it’s presented as terrifying. A child who stumbles out of it appears completely disoriented and like they’re on drugs.
- Dr Armstrong locks Tim and Ted up in ‘the box’, which starts filling up with water. It looks like he intends to kill them, and they say goodbye, not expecting to get out alive.
Violence
The Boss Baby: Family Business has some violence. For example:
- There’s frequent action and comedy violence. This includes people getting grabbed, hit, pushed and chased. People also have things thrown or shot at them.
- Children who misbehave in class are locked in ‘the box’ for a time-out. This is set up like a seaside relaxation spa, but it’s presented as terrifying. A child who stumbles out of it appears completely disoriented and like they’re on drugs.
- Dr Armstrong locks Tim and Ted up in ‘the box’, which starts filling up with water. It looks like he intends to kill them, and they say goodbye, not expecting to get out alive.
Sexual references
There are no sexual references in The Boss Baby: Family Business.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There’s no use of substances in The Boss Baby: Family Business, but the movie does touch on the dangers of screen and phone addiction.
Nudity and sexual activity
The Boss Baby: Family Business has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- There are a few glimpses of a baby’s bare bottom.
- Tim and Ted are in the nude but quickly cover themselves up.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in The Boss Baby: Family Business: Mentos.
Coarse language
The Boss Baby: Family Business has some coarse language and insults, including ‘Suck it up’, ‘You suck’, ‘diaper sniffers’, ‘What the frittata’, ‘What the heck’ and ‘butt’.
Ideas to discuss with your children
The Boss Baby: Family Business is the sequel to 2017’s The Boss Baby, inspired by Marla Frazee’s children’s books. This movie is entertaining and also includes positive messages and role models. It points out the importance of families sticking together and parents trying to bond with their children. It also suggests that having boundaries is just as important as having freedom.
The Boss Baby: Family Business is quite loud and colourful, and it also has some scary themes, peril and mild violence. These things make it unsuitable for children under 5 years. We also recommend parental guidance for children under 8 years.
The main messages from The Boss Baby: Family Business are that family bonds and childhood are precious.
Values in this movie The Boss Baby: Family Business that you could reinforce with your children include family cohesion and quality time, teamwork, courage, resourcefulness and work-life balance.
This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about contemporary family arrangements, including stay-at-home fathers and women as family providers.