After strong beginning, ‘Boss Baby’ needs a time out

Even worse if you’re a big brother or big sister, dislodged from the center of the universe by a tiny being who doesn’t have the sense to stop peeing in his own bath water.

Older brother Tim Templeton is the only one who can hear the baby talk, and they develop a sibling rivalry that amounts to a lot of Sylvester vs.

[...] the writers greatly complicate things with a war between infants and puppies, a secret new breed of dog and an unnecessary save-the-world plot.

With each baby step away from the domestic story of the Templeton family and toward Puppy Co. and its evil CEO, “The Boss Baby” loses its way.

The Templeton parents’ blindness to Boss Baby’s corporate attitude (“He carries a briefcase … does anyone else think that’s a little freaky?” Tim Templeton gripes) plays well to the director’s skill with comic timing.

Hans Zimmer, arguably the greatest composer of movie music currently working, found time to finish the “Boss Baby” score between “Hidden Figures” and Christopher Nolan’s World War II movie “Dunkirk.”

[...] alas, we must detour to Puppy Co., an excuse to add cute animals and complicated motivations to the movie, while also sabotaging the pacing.

The second half is one big heist and chase scene, piling on unnecessary tangents and struggling to find humor.

[...] make sure to pair it with a nature documentary, or renewal of your subscription to National Geographic.