Back in February I wrote about how much Jack is enraptured by the Despicable Me franchise. I don’t entirely get why. Don’t get me wrong… I love the movies as well. Always have. The boy’s fascination is probably my fault–DNA, having them on too much in the background, witch’s curse–that kind of thing.
[Disclaimer: Before y’all start chiming in on TV viewing and children and what not… we don’t spent all day in front of the TV. Honest.]
But Despicable Me and its sequels serve well as a way to distract Jack when I need to head to the other room for a few minutes to prepare his food, check e-mail, oversee the overthrow of a government, etc.
But I gotta tell ya… I could use a break from Despicable Me–at least until the next movie hits the digital airwaves.
There have been some more recent contenders for acceptable alternatives: Secret Life of Pets, Storks, and Boss Baby.
Okay, that last one is still in theaters and isn’t a home viewing option yet–but there are so many extended previews on YouTube that I feel like I’ve seen it already. Kid with an overactive imagination gets a baby brother. Neither are happy about it. The baby is very clever. The boy and the baby have a bit of a feud, but then something happens in which they need to cooperate and then they become the best of friends. Right?
First things, first, though.
Secret Life of Pets. I know a lot of people really enjoyed this movie. I’m not a big fan. Sure, it’s cute in spots. Even funny. But I never really cared about any of the characters or the plot. It’s a big ol’ yawn. For me, this is surprising as it comes to us from the Despicable Me folks. By all rights I should love it. But I don’t. (I will admit that I like the opening song. Movie could have ended there, though.)
The boy seems to like it… to a degree. But that’s it.
Storks. This just arrived on HBO. Love it. Great animation. Characters I care about. Great voice acting. Funny as hell. Clever as hell. By the end it got me right in the feels. The kid seems to like it more than the pet movie. Good on him. This is a winner and we’ll be watching it again many times I’m sure.
The Boss Baby. Like I said… it’s not really in rotation yet because it’s still in theaters, but the boy seems to like watching the extended previews. Add to that the extended previews for Despicable Me 3 and the onslaught of kiddie music videos (like “Baby Shark”) YouTube is doing a fine job as a media provider.
Observation… Of the three movies, I was surprised to find how much I like the two that feature babies. I can’t help but wonder if I’d have felt the same way had I not been a parent of a baby.
Maybe? Really can’t know for sure. Is this some kind of syndrome all new parents go through? One day you’re watching art house films or superhero adventure flics and everything is fine–and then–BAM!–it’s kids movies.
Weird.
I’m not going to make a judgement call on this. Let’s just call it something that is.
I’ll give the boy a few more months and then we’ll roll out a Criterion edition of La Vie de Boheme.
Cheers!
–John
