---
title: "The Boss Baby"
year: 2017
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-boss-baby"
fi1m_id: "the-boss-baby"
imdb_id: "tt3874544"
tmdb_id: 295693
wikidata_id: "Q18619153"
fi1m_score: 56
critics_score: 56
critics_reviews: 21
published: "2026-10-05T14:26:34.335523+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T14:26:34.569666+00:00"
region: "EE"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Boss Baby (2017)

Directed by Tom McGrath · 1h 37m · Animation, Comedy, Family

## Identity

The Boss Baby

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-boss-baby
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-boss-baby
- **IMDb ID:** tt3874544
- **TMDB ID:** 295693
- **Wikidata ID:** Q18619153
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3874544/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/295693, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18619153

**Fi1m score: 56** · Critics 56 from 21 reviews

*In a sentence:* A baby in a suit is funny for longer than expected, though considerably less than 97 minutes

> Alec Baldwin makes a persuasive little tyrant, and the animation has more wit than the plotting. But *The Boss Baby* stretches a good sibling-rivalry joke into an overcomplicated, tiring family comedy.

## Synopsis

Tim (Miles Bakshi) gets a new baby brother, Boss Baby (Alec Baldwin), and life at home changes. Dad (Jimmy Kimmel) and Mom (Lisa Kudrow) have another child to look after, while Tim has to share their attention. His brother wears a suit and behaves like a corporate boss, making demands on a household Tim would prefer to have to himself. Tim wants his place in the family back; the new arrival expects to be in charge. Their sibling rivalry also belongs to a larger competition for affection, with puppies threatening to take attention away from babies.

## Review

*The Boss Baby* has a workable joke: a new baby behaves like the person who owns the place, which is roughly how an older sibling experiences the arrangement. Tom McGrath gets a fair amount of comedy out of giving that intruder a suit and Alec Baldwin’s voice. We laughed at the solemn corporate manner coming from someone who still needs looking after. The trouble is that this modest joke has to support an increasingly complicated adventure, and the film becomes tiring well before its 97 minutes are up.

Miles Bakshi voices Tim, whose resentment gives the early scenes a feeling children can recognise without having it explained to them. Being asked to welcome a rival for your parents’ attention is a considerable demand, however small the rival happens to be. McGrath allows that grievance to be funny without making the child seem monstrous, and the brothers’ friction gives the comedy something worth caring about. Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow voice Dad and Mom, but the more promising relationship is the one between the children.

Baldwin understands how little he needs to push the central gag. The confidence in his delivery makes the baby’s expectation of obedience funny without every line needing a separate joke attached. There is pleasure in hearing such authority emerge from such an unlikely source, and he sustains it longer than the writing deserves. Michael McCullers’s script keeps returning to the contrast between infant needs and adult authority, even when the joke has already landed.

David James’s production design gives the animation an appealingly old-fashioned look, while the colourful fantasy passages offer welcome changes of pace. The suited infant is a useful visual joke before he even opens his mouth, and the film understands the value of that incongruity. It is less restrained about how often it asks us to enjoy it. The fantasy passages have a freedom that the more laborious plotting could have used, letting colour and exaggeration carry some of the comedy.

The wider business involving babies and puppies competing for affection is where the film starts making unnecessary work for itself. Treating love as something that can run out makes sense from a jealous child’s point of view, and Tim’s resentment gives that idea a foothold. Expanding it into a corporate struggle requires explanations that are much less interesting than the brothers’ quarrel. McCullers keeps adding business when another exchange between the children would have served better, and the attempts at tenderness struggle to regain our attention.

James Ryan’s editing keeps the chases moving, but the pace offers little relief once the broader plot takes over. The succession of action and crude jokes leaves less space for the brothers to be funny together. The music by Steve Mazzaro and Hans Zimmer supplies further energy to sequences that hardly lack it. Its liveliness is welcome in itself, though the film could afford to stop encouraging us to be excited quite so insistently.

A family comedy needs enough variation to keep its central joke useful, particularly when adults will understand it before the children do. Here, the early sibling grievance offers more possibilities than the busy adventure makes room for. There are laughs, but too much of the evening is spent waiting for the film to get back to what produced them. If the suited baby does not amuse you straight away, there is little reason to wait for the plot to improve matters.

*Fi1m score 56, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews lean towards mixed, with Alec Baldwin’s voice performance attracting the most consistent praise, even from critics who dislike the film. His corporate manner and comic timing give the suit-wearing baby much of its appeal. The animation also earns approval for its expressive characters, retro styling and colourful fantasy sequences. Supporters find a lively family comedy with enough verbal and visual jokes to make its unlikely premise work.

The divide is wide over how long that appeal lasts. Reservations cluster around an overcomplicated plot, repetitive jokes and frantic action that crowds out the sibling relationship. Deadline celebrates the pace and finds the comedy funny across age groups; the Los Angeles Times finds the script lazy and strained despite Baldwin’s contribution. Emotional warmth convinces some critics but feels unearned to others. Vulture offers a distinct reading, finding sharp political satire in the corporate behaviour and competition for affection.

## Straight answers

**Is The Boss Baby worth watching?**

*The Boss Baby* offers some laughs for families amused by its suited infant, but we find it too tiring to recommend without reservations and score it 56. Alec Baldwin’s solemn authority and the recognisable sibling jealousy work better than the overcomplicated adventure, which crowds out the brothers’ comedy.

**How long is The Boss Baby, and what is it rated?**

*The Boss Baby* runs 1h 37m. It is an animation and comedy film.

**Where can I watch The Boss Baby in Estonia?**

*The Boss Baby* is available to rent from Apple TV from €3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does The Boss Baby compare to Look Who's Talking?**

*The Boss Baby* has a sharper visual joke, but we recommend *Look Who’s Talking* as the more amiable evening’s entertainment. Both give an infant an adult voice; the former becomes bogged down in a corporate adventure, while the latter benefits from John Travolta and Kirstie Alley’s company, despite its predictable jokes.

**Is The Boss Baby based on a true story or a book?**

*The Boss Baby* is based on a book by Marla Frazee, rather than a true story. No prior reading is needed: the film establishes Tim’s resentment at sharing his parents’ attention and the joke of a baby who behaves like a corporate boss.

**What should I watch after The Boss Baby?**

After *The Boss Baby*, try [*Look Who's Talking*](https://film.one/film/look-whos-talking) (1989, Fi1m 71): Another infant with an adult voice and firm opinions about the grown-ups. Then [*My Neighbour Totoro*](https://film.one/film/my-neighbor-totoro) (1988, Fi1m 89): A gentler account of childhood imagination, with sisters worth spending time beside; and [*Ernest & Celestine*](https://film.one/film/ernest-and-celestine) (2012, Fi1m 84): Expressive animation and a friendship allowed to develop without constant commotion.

### Reviews we read (21)

- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Michael Rechtshaffen (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a delightful, clever, and tender animated comedy. Baldwin’s commanding voice performance and the animation’s nostalgic visual style stand out for praise. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/boss-baby-review-984291/)
- **The i Paper**, Matthew Turner (★★★★): Turner finds the film witty, delightful and inventive, praising its appeal as a family comedy despite its silly premise. He singles out Alec Baldwin’s pitch-perfect voice performance and the steady stream of verbal and visual gags. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-boss-baby-review-57220)
- **Vulture**, Emily Yoshida (70/100, inferred): Yoshida finds the film an unusually incisive political metaphor for Trump-era America. She singles out the Boss Baby’s corporate behavior and the puppies-versus-babies attention economy as especially sharp satire. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2017/03/boss-baby-movie-review.html)
- **Screen Daily**, John Hazelton (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is not visible in the accessible text. The standfirst notes Alec Baldwin voices the title character and calls him vaguely Trump-ish. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-boss-baby-review/5115763.article)
- **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The page could not be read, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint can be verified from the accessible content. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/30/movies/the-boss-baby-review-alec-baldwin.html)
- **The AV Club**, Katie Rife (C+): Rife finds the film clever at first but increasingly exhausting and manic as it expands beyond its sibling rivalry premise. She praises the emotionally effective opening and lovely animation, while criticizing the later chase sequences and crude humor. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-boss-baby-is-too-big-for-its-britches-1798190860)
- **Radio Times**, Terry Staunton (3/5): Staunton calls it a wild and witty animation for all the family. He singles out its unlikely, suit-wearing baby hero as a source of pre-teen laughs. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-2y63hf/the-boss-baby/)
- **The Guardian**, Simran Hans (3/5): Hans finds the comedy overcomplicated and its jokes one-note, though she admits it made her laugh. She singles out the colorful fantasy sequences and Alec Baldwin’s vocal performance as potential pleasures. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/apr/09/the-boss-baby-review-overcomplicated-animation)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Christy Lemire (2/4): Lemire finds the film more irritating than amusing. She singles out its strained jokes as a particular weakness. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-boss-baby-2017)
- **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (45/100, inferred): Gleiberman finds the film amusing in bursts but overcomplicated and tiresome overall. He praises Alec Baldwin’s comic voice performance and the animation, while faulting the story for reaching toward emotional depth without earning it. [Read](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-boss-baby-review-alec-baldwin-1202004561/)
- **Empire**, Ian Freer (2/5): Freer finds the film energetic but ultimately ineffective, with little humor or emotional heft. He praises its visual panache and singles out an exciting garden chase. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/boss-baby-review/)
- **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (2/5): The review finds the cartoon cutesy but boring. It criticizes the convoluted existentialist narrative for leading nowhere. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-boss-baby)
- **Slant Magazine**, Eric Henderson (1.5/4): Henderson pans the film as a polished, soulless and calculated misfire. He singles out its premise about love as a limited resource as revealing the story’s crass worldview. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-boss-baby/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (20/100, inferred): Chang finds the film sour, strained and short on imagination. He praises Alec Baldwin’s voice performance but says it cannot rescue the movie’s lazy, half-baked script. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-boss-baby-review-20170330-story.html)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (90/100, inferred): Hammond finds the film wildly funny, original and entertaining for audiences of all ages. He especially praises Alec Baldwin’s comic timing and the film’s frenetic pace. [Read](https://deadline.com/2017/03/the-boss-baby-review-alec-baldwin-video-1202052858/)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (90/100, inferred): The critic gives the film an enthusiastic verdict, calling it a laughathon. They single out the hilarious script and the animation’s expressive lip-and-eye treatment for praise. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-boss-baby-2017-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)
- **HeyUGuys**, Hannah Woodhead (65/100, inferred): The review finds the film charming but held back by a weak, formulaic plot and jokes that wear thin. It praises the colorful animation, Hans Zimmer’s score, and Alec Baldwin’s performance. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-boss-baby-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, Simon Brew (3/5): Brew finds the film fun and funny, though not a vintage work and weaker once its broader plot takes over. He praises McGrath’s comedic touch and the film’s playful animation and visual style. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-boss-baby-review/)
- **The Wrap**, Alonso Duralde (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the film enjoyable but says its formulaic plot overwhelms its best qualities. They praise its sly wit, retro visual style, and the warm rapport between the two brothers. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-boss-baby-review-alec-baldwin/)
- **Paste**, Jacob Oller (3.7/10): Oller gives the film a strongly negative verdict, finding its comedy and emotional development ineffective. He particularly criticizes its convoluted plot and muddy-looking 3-D animation. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-boss-baby/the-boss-baby)
- **The Ringer**, K. Austin Collins (25/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an unfunny, middling kids’ movie that quickly wears out its welcome. Alec Baldwin’s voice work and the inventive baby-factory premise offer some initial amusement, but both grow tiresome after about 30 minutes. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2017/03/31/movies/the-boss-baby-film-review-1bc9ce9ea92f)

## Details

- **Director:** Tom McGrath
- **Director:** Tom McGrath
- **Writer:** Michael McCullers
- **Novel:** Marla Frazee
- **Editor:** James Ryan
- **Music:** Steve Mazzaro, Hans Zimmer
- **Production design:** David James
- **Producer:** Ramsey Ann Naito, Denise Nolan Cascino
- **Cast:** Miles Bakshi as Tim (voice); Alec Baldwin as Boss Baby (voice); Jimmy Kimmel as Dad (voice); Lisa Kudrow as Mom (voice); Steve Buscemi as Francis Francis (voice); Tobey Maguire as Adult Tim / Narrator (voice); James McGrath as Wizzie / Elvis Impersonator (voice); Conrad Vernon as Eugene (voice)
- **Runtime:** 1h 37m
- **Release (Estonia):** 14 April 2017
- **Genres:** Animation, Comedy, Family
- **Budget:** $125 million
- **Box office:** $528 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud8j5GaqH3c

## Where to watch in Estonia

- Apple TV: rent €3.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy €7.99, sd

*Checked 2026-10-05.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2017: Best Animated Feature (nominated)
- Annie Award for Best Animated Feature 2017: Annie Award for Best Animated Feature (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *Look Who's Talking* (1989), Fi1m 71: Another infant with an adult voice and firm opinions about the grown-ups. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/look-whos-talking.md)
- *My Neighbour Totoro* (1988), Fi1m 89: A gentler account of childhood imagination, with sisters worth spending time beside. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/my-neighbor-totoro.md)
- *A Town Called Panic* (2009): Domestic chaos pushed further, with absurdity that needs little explanation.
- *Ernest & Celestine* (2012), Fi1m 84: Expressive animation and a friendship allowed to develop without constant commotion. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ernest-and-celestine.md)
- *The Mitchells vs. the Machines* (2021), Fi1m 76: More family friction, with enough warmth to justify the frantic animation. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-mitchells-vs-the-machines.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-boss-baby