At a glance, The Boss Baby seems like a fairly run-of-the-mill family comedy, but one confusing line suggests that the movie has a more adult sense of humor with a possible use of the F-word. Like many animated films, The Boss Baby tries to appeal to both an adult and younger audience. As is often the case with Pixar movies, many lines or allusions are included purely for the pleasure of any adults watching, rather than the movie's primary fanbase. Nevertheless, even though risqué humor in kids' movies is a long-standing tradition, the potential inclusion of the F-word in The Boss Baby could be a step too far.
The Boss Baby's premise actually lends itself very well to adult humor. Given that the titular baby is voiced by Alec Baldwin and has many of the trappings and mannerisms of adulthood, it's arguably only natural that some more mature language occasionally slips into the dialogue. However, one scene in The Boss Baby seems at first glance to go far beyond what's acceptable in this context.
The Boss Baby Sounds Like He Says The F-Word
The scene in question comes relatively near the start of The Boss Baby, before baby Ted's antics are seen as commonplace. Tim Templeton, determined to unmask his baby brother Ted, attempts to sneak into the Baby's room at night, armed with a plastic soft-ball gun. Upon opening the door to the baby's bedroom, he witnesses him on the telephone, startling him and causing him to cry out.
It is at this moment that the questionable language can be heard. Although it's not entirely clear what is said, one interpretation is that the Alec Baldwin-voiced baby lets out an expletive followed by a series of unintelligible sounds. When played at full speed, it certainly sounds incriminating. However, despite the compelling evidence that The Boss Baby does secretly include the F-word, the truth is actually far less salacious.
The Boss Baby Never Actually Says The F-Word
Instead of letting out a reactionary "f*ck" after being startled, Alec Baldwin's baby Ted actually says something much more innocent. According to The Boss Baby script (via Scripts), Ted actually says, "Fart! Poop! Doodie!" in surprise. Despite being faintly scatological and certainly sounding suggestive when played at full speed, this offers an innocent explanation of what could otherwise be interpreted as a highly inappropriate moment for a kids' movie.
With the benefit of hindsight, it's certainly understandable why this moment of hard-to-decipher dialogue has caused such concern. Absent closer analysis, it does seem as though Alec Baldwin's character does indeed swear – a move that would be incredibly out of keeping with the film's tone. However, after consulting the film's original script, it's clear that The Boss Baby does not in fact feature the F-word after all.
Source: Scripts