Movie Review
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Boss Baby Presents Stupid Parents
& Ill-bred ‘Kids’
Christina Herath
“Baby” is not here to stay, however. The Corporation that produces babies has rejected him as an “un-normal” child, and so he must “work” for the company Under the guise of a normal infant, he is sent to Tim’s family to investigate the decline in love for babies and their replacement by puppies. In the end, Baby and Tim join together to defeat the CEO of Puppy Co. and save the day for babies.
While this movie seems wholesome at a first impression, any Catholic who looks at it with a vigilant eye will find revolutionary themes unhealthy for the Catholic child.
An inhumane depiction of the beginning of life
One of the major issues with this children's movie is the way that the beginning of life is portrayed as nothing more than the output of a mass-production factory. Defective babies – like the film’s “Baby” who fails a tickle test are considered unfit for a proper human family and are sent to the “management” division to work for this “factory.”
Assembly line babies manufactured at Baby Corp
The beginning of a human life is not only one of the grand spectacles of God's mercy and power, it also has a great spiritual meaning. The conception of a human body to which God joins a soul should lead not only to considerations on the love, mercy and omnipotence of God, but also on the sorrowful consequences of sin, the meaning of our existence and the precious price paid by Jesus Christ for each soul. To portray the beginning of life as a factory process is to confuse a child's understanding of such a great event and ridicule what it is serious and sacral.
A competitive familial landscape
Another flaw in The Boss Baby is its depiction of the family home as egalitarian with foolish parents and selfish, domineering children. It is the modern conception of family we see in so many programs and films today.
Sibling competition & squabbling throughout...
These ideas move the child away from the knowledge of a wholesome Catholic household and destroy the idea of fraternal charity.
Further, Tim and other important characters often engage in bad behavior such as lying and deceiving. This sends a false message to children: that it is ‘ok’ to commit such sins, since the heroes in this film do so with success.
Demeaning of authority
One of the underlying themes in The Boss Baby is its debasement of authority, especially parental. Tim's parents are portrayed as stupid and clueless individuals, who have no idea of Baby’s mission and no interest in it. In fact, Tim has to save their liives at one point in the movie. Figures of authority, in general, are shown as petty and flawed and are often parodied for comedic value.
Parents are presented as stupid & without any real authority in the family
Additionally, the way that the children speak to their parents or behave by disobeying and dsrespecting their authority without facing consequences can encourage impressionable children to do the same without the risk of punishment. And, unfortunately, in today’s modern family, this is often the case.
Pity for the villain
A villain with his good points...
Viewers are thus led to pity him and make excuses for his evil actions and character. Pity for the villain is something very popular in today's age of cinema, which has led to a blurring between the lines of good and evil, and created confusion in younger audiences who view such films. Instead of stories with ann obvious evil being defeated by good, today's productions create “special circumstances” and complicated plots that destroy the notion of good and evil.
Puppies over babies
The only applaudable aspect of the whole movie is when the feminist “cat mom” – who prefers cats to children – is presented in a bad light. Truly, in today's world, dogs and cats are regarded as children and even treated better than the latter.
In that sense, therefore, this movie did not fail in criticizing this prevalent illness in society, even if it was unintentionally.
Better alternatives
Good Catholic parents should not allow the bad examples in The Boss Baby to have an impact on the way their children behave and view the world, especially the proper authority. Instead of viewing such entertainment that will negatively impress their child, parents should seek older and better children's movies, stories and shows, where upright behavior, proper order and a respect for authority are given their due place. Examples include Peter Rabbit, Wind in the Willows, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Aesop's Fables and so many other good stories (see here).
Most importantly, good pious books should be read to children such as the Lives of the Saints, which provide real life examples of virtue, sacrifice and the love of God. Let us hope that, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, we return to an era where the younger generations will be inspired by such material, and not influenced by these bad and confusing movies.
A happy ending for the puppies,
but not for children who watch this movie
Posted November 15, 2024
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