‘Boss Baby’ a great joke stretched too far

The president’s golf game could take a hit this weekend as there’s a very real chance Donald Trump sprains both his thumbs retweeting negative reviews of “The Boss Baby.”

The one-joke animated comedy stars Alec Baldwin, Trump’s non-Rosie O’Donnell archnemesis, as the voice of a baby who’s, well, a boss.

Seven-year-old Tim’s (Miles Bakshi) life is perfect as he’s showered with affection from his loving parents (Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy Kimmel). “I was the luckiest kid ever,” an adult Tim (Tobey Maguire) narrates. Then a taxi shows up at Tim’s house, and out pops an attention-sucking baby wearing a tiny suit with a buttflap, itty-bitty sock garters, an expensive watch and carrying a briefcase.

In the world of “The Boss Baby,” babies come from a giant assembly line that powders, diapers and puts socks on them. If they laugh when a feather tickles their bellies, they’re sent to live with a family. If they don’t, they’re destined for a job in management at Baby Corp.

Apparently puppies are taking up a greater slice of all the love in the world, and Puppy Co., led by the villainous Francis E. Francis (Steve Buscemi), is about to host a convention in Las Vegas where it will unveil a top-secret puppy that could ensure no one would ever want a baby again. So Boss Baby is sent undercover to live with Tim’s parents, who work for Puppy Co. If he fixes the problem, he’ll go back to Baby Corp. headquarters with a promotion. If he doesn’t, he’ll remain Tim’s baby brother for life.

The one joke — and it’s a good one — is that Baldwin plays Boss Baby as a combination of “30 Rock’s” Jack Donaghy and Blake, his iconic “Always Be Closing” character from “Glengarry Glen Ross.” In a nod to the latter, he denies a fellow baby a delicious treat: “Put that cookie down. Cookies are for closers.” 

Boss Baby is a living, breathing Successories poster. “Either you run the day or the day runs you,” he spouts. “Aim for failure and you’ll always succeed.” It’s funny enough for a short film, but the oh-so-slight premise is strained beyond its breaking point at 97 minutes.

Small children surely can relate to the movie’s sibling rivalry angle. Tim hates Boss Baby for stealing his parents’ affection and their special bedtime song: “Blackbird.” “That’s my song,” Tim wails. “My parents wrote it just for me.” “Really?” Boss Baby responds. “Your parents are Lennon and McCartney?”

But it’s jokes like that and the movie’s overall tone that probably will sail high over the heads of the youngest audience members.

Baldwin is fantastic in the title role and, much like “Maleficent” and Angelina Jolie, there would be no reason for the movie to exist without his involvement. As Tim’s parents, though, Kudrow and Kimmel are mostly bystanders without much to do.

Director Tom McGrath (the “Madagascar” movies) and writer Michael McCullers (“Baby Mama”) do what they can in adapting Marla Frazee’s picture book, but there’s just not enough there to sustain interest.

“I’m not used to being tickled,” Boss Baby says at one point. “Well, once at a corporate retreat, but those things get weird.”

It’s a great line, but overall, you shouldn’t get used to being tickled by “Boss Baby,” either.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com. On Twitter: @life_onthecouch.