In the sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s Boss Baby creators stepped it up a notch, making a movie kids who grew up loving the first will enjoy, and parents will too. In Boss Baby: Family Business, there’s less of the immature slapstick comedy my kids loved from the first, and a pleasantly surprising heartwarming story. Read on for my spoiler-free Boss Baby 2 review that will help you decide if this is something worth taking your whole family to see.

What You Need to Know: ‘Boss Baby 2’ Review

The Timpleton brothers (voiced by Alec Baldwin and James Marsden) are much more tolerable in the sequel which has a more coherent, heartfelt plot. Though some scenes in the beginning had me rolling my eyes and wondering if I’d be able to make it through, I quickly realized this animated comedy was going to surpass my expectations. Parents should know that like the main characters, the storyline grew up a bit. There’s a solid message about the importance of family, and that it’s ok to be smart. It’s also ok to be creative. It’s ok to love work, and ok to be YOU. Then throw in a hefty dose of Jeff Goldblum and you’ve got a pretty good movie. More on that in a bit. 

The Good and the Bad About ‘Boss Baby 2‘

My kids enjoyed the character cameos and nods to the original movie, I loved the DreamWorks easter eggs sprinkled in. Where the plot in the first one was confusing and not enjoyable for me, this storyline gave us more to think and talk about. The humor thrown in for adults is less crude and more cute. I found myself laughing out loud at a couple of parts.  And I am happy to see some diversity. A stay at home dad, smart–really smart–kids, an interracial family, and glimpses several interracial parent/kid groupings towards the end. 

It is also good to see a villain with a story, not just a bad guy for the sake of being a bad guy. 

There is still some silly slapstick humor I personally could have done without (ie: titty twisters) that had my eyes rolling at the start but it got better. 

I’ll admit I had low expectations going in so I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. And I’m even more surprised to say that I’m looking forward to watching it again. Sadly this was the opposite reaction than I had to the latest Pixar movie. You can read our review of Luca here.

Overall I give it 3.5 stars and find this movie is more for families versus just the kids. But that’s my opinion as a parent. What did my kids think? Here’s their review. 

‘Boss Baby 2′ Review by Two Kids

What did you think of the movie?

Jayda: I thought it was really good. I didn’t really like the villain as much. I liked his voice, but not the villain.

Ty: It wasn’t as cool as I thought it was. But I still liked it.

Why? 

Jayda: I liked that you get to see Tim as a father.

Ty: Because I thought he might be a kid. 

What was the funniest part to you? 

Jayda: When the pony doesn’t like Tim. 

Ty:  When they’re running through the town.  

Did you like it more than the first one? Why or why not?

Jayda: I liked it more than the first one because I thought it was more mature, and you could watch it with your family. 

Ty: One is probably more for kids, and two is more for family. The whole reason I like one more is because I like it more when they’re kids. 

Do you think people have to see the first one first?

Jayda: I’d say you don’t have to see it, but you’d hear more of the back story. But you can still perfectly understand it without the first movie.

Ty: Yes. Because then they’ll understand more who the person is.

Would you recommend it to your friends? 

Jayda: Probably not. Because I feel like it’s a family movie, not a “watch with your friends” movie. 

Ty: Yes, but I don’t think they’d like it as much as I do.

Who would you recommend this movie to? 

Jayda: Maybe my friends that are having a baby sister or brother, or families that are going to have a baby.  

Ty: Maybe 8 year olds and 10, and adults might like it too. I think it might be an adult’s favorite kid show. 

What lesson did you learn? What message was the movie trying to get across?

Jayda: I learned that family is just really important. 

Ty: I learned that babies pretend to not talk (I’m kidding). And that nothing is more important than family.  

Who was your favorite character?

Jayda: Tabitha. 

Ty: Tim.

Do you think it’s for older kids? 

Jayda: I think older kids would like it more than the first one. I watched Boss Baby when I was little, that’s why I liked this one. 

Ty: What do you mean? Yes. 

Did you think it was scary?

Jayda: No, not at all for me. Some parts might be a little scary for 4-year-olds. 

Ty: No. 

Would you want to watch it again? 

Jayda: Yea, I’d pick it for my movie night. 

Ty: Yes. Only two more times. 

How would you rank it compared to other DreamWorks or Disney movies? 

Jayda: It seems more like a Disney movie, which I like. 

Ty: I liked it more than I liked Luca. And I liked it more than Cruella, obviously. I liked both Boss Baby and Boss Baby 2 about a tie with How to Train Your Dragon.  

What was your favorite part? 

Jayda: Probably when Tim is a kid and he’s going to school with his daughter.

Ty: I like when he remembers Baby Corp.

What would you rank it out of 10? Or out of 5 stars?

Jayda: 3.5 stars, 7/10.

Ty: 4 stars.

Is it worth going to the movies to see/picking it for movie night/paying $30?

Jayda: I would say yea. I had a great time watching this movie. 

Ty: You will like it more than you think. It’s more fun than you think. But why do you have to pay for everything?

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Great question Ty! On that note, you can pay to go see Boss Baby: Family Business in theaters (which I think would totally be worth it as a family movie outing), or stream it on Peacock TV subscription on July 2nd.

If you decide to give it a watch, come back and give us your own Boss Baby 2 review!

Enjoy watching and reviewing movies as a family? Check out our Family Movie Night Journal. Premiering August 1st.

Tags: boss baby, kids movie reviews, movie review