Baldwin shows off range as ‘Boss Baby’
Comedic actor’s persona adds edge to film about family life
Director Tom McGrath has a simple explanation for the humorous premise behind his animated film “The Boss Baby.”
“Here’s this movie with this adorable kid and Alec Baldwin’s voice coming out of him,” McGrath says.
Meet Boss Baby, the Armani suit-wearing, briefcase-toting tot voiced by the actor in the upcoming DreamWorks Animation movie (in theaters this weekend).
McGrath knew Baldwin, 58, was perfect. But just to be sure, he spliced an animated scene of an adorable baby with Baldwin’s voice spewing his profane “Coffee is for closers” speech from “Glengarry Glen Ross.” It made for one scary/hilarious baby. The film’s Boss Baby is even scarier for 7year-old Tim (Miles Bakshi), who has his world rocked when his parents (Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow) bring home (gasp!) a little brother. The tiny tyke’s attention-grabbing domination is a metaphor for how a new child takes over family life, as seen in Marla Frazee’s 2010 award-winning picture book “The Boss Baby,” upon which the movie is based.
“Kids, when they get a baby brother, either flip out or totally embrace it. If you watch YouTube, mostly they flip out,” McGrath says. “They fear all the love for them will be taken away. We hung our hat around that idea.”
Narrated by a grown-up Tim (Tobey Maguire, who replaced the previously announced Patton Oswalt), “Boss Baby” follows the intense sibling rivalry. Tim finds his new brother can talk and is on a secret mission. They reluctantly join forces to stop the evil CEO of Puppy Co., Francis E. Francis (Steve Buscemi), who threatens to sap the world’s love supply by unveiling the cutest puppy breed ever.
“There’s sibling rivalry and there’s rivalry between puppies and babies over who is the cutest and who gets the most love,” says McGrath.
Baldwin, who is currently displaying his “adult” boss skills as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live,” showed pure infantile acting range in “The Boss Baby” recording sessions.
“Alec knows where the comedy is,” McGrath says. “Boss Baby is this suave business guy, but when things go wrong, he throws a fit.”
The two brothers find common ground and mutual respect in their puppy-thwarting quest. McGrath, 51, compares the bond to his relationship with his own older brother, John, 53.
“We’re competitive and we argue, but as you get older and go through life’s trenches together, you realize he’s ultimately your best friend,” McGrath says. “In a way, this movie is a love letter to my brother.”