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You know how when you go into a movie you have certain expectations? It's never a good thing to have those because it will more often than not ruin the experience for you. High expectations for certain films might make you enjoy it less even if it is...pretty good. Low expectations for films might make you give the film a pass even when it might be bad. So when the film Instant Family came my way, my expectations were mixed. I was expecting another Daddy's Home, which makes sense considering it stars Mark Wahlberg and is directed by the same guy. So imagine my 'surprise' when I discovered that Instant Family is actually something better than a routine comedy. In fact, it packs some emotional punches that I did not expect.
Married couple Pete and Ellie flip houses. They take something that is broken and in need of some love and care and turn it into a lovely home for some young couple. When Ellie's sister mentions she is trying to get pregnant, it sparks something inside her. She want to be a mother. Instead of going the traditional route of getting pregnant, they decide to try and be 'better people' and go through adoption. They notice that all the Foster parents want to adopt these little kids while the teenagers are left behind. Pete & Ellie decide to buck the trend and go for an extremely independent 15 year old girl. To Pete and Ellie's surprise though, she comes with a little brother and little sister. Now with 3 latin kids under their house, the hi-jinks, comedy, horror and drama begin to take shape.
There is a sense of realism found here and it makes sense when you find out that director Sean Anders based this film on his own experiences in adopting 3 latin children. So there are plenty of little looks and ticks that Wahlberg and Rose Byrne do in the film that feel extremely natural and real. Kids yelling that they only want to eat potato chips for dinner instead of the home cooked meal hits home. A look on the face of a parent receiving a hug after a fight. I imagine it's extremely hard for foster parents to be in these situations. How many times are the kids going to throw "You're not my real mother" in their faces. A lot it seems.
Despite trying their best to provide the absolute best living conditions they can offer, it never seems good enough for Liz, the 15 year old. She seems hellbent on making things difficult for her new foster parents. It's clear she has trust issues and her siblings are too young to really acknowledge what's going on. These kids come from a broken home and despite that, Liz wants her real mother back, no matter the cost. The formula for this film leans more on the generic side and you won't find many surprises by the film's end, but I don't think people are going to want to. I think you'll know what you are getting early on in the film and will enjoy the ride nonetheless.
A lot of this sounds dramatic and it is. But there is a lot of funny bits sprinkled throughout to keep it more on the lighter side of things. When a tired kid says "Thanks Mommy" for the first time, Byrne is willing to try and casually wake the kid up again just to confirm what she heard was the word mommy. It's a sweet scene that brought a smile to my face. Characters aren't put in "funny scenarios", the comedy comes from the character interactions in real situations. It's 2vs3 in this house and the banding together to overpower children is comical.
Instant Family is a good film that balances the drama pretty well with the comedy. Don't expect many laugh out loud moments, just a few laughs and smiles to go with a good family drama.
Instant Family
You know how when you go into a movie you have certain expectations? It's never a good thing to have those because it will more often than not ruin the experience for you. High expectations for certain films might make you enjoy it less even if it is...pretty good. Low expectations for films might make you give the film a pass even when it might be bad. So when the film Instant Family came my way, my expectations were mixed. I was expecting another Daddy's Home, which makes sense considering it stars Mark Wahlberg and is directed by the same guy. So imagine my 'surprise' when I discovered that Instant Family is actually something better than a routine comedy. In fact, it packs some emotional punches that I did not expect.
Married couple Pete and Ellie flip houses. They take something that is broken and in need of some love and care and turn it into a lovely home for some young couple. When Ellie's sister mentions she is trying to get pregnant, it sparks something inside her. She want to be a mother. Instead of going the traditional route of getting pregnant, they decide to try and be 'better people' and go through adoption. They notice that all the Foster parents want to adopt these little kids while the teenagers are left behind. Pete & Ellie decide to buck the trend and go for an extremely independent 15 year old girl. To Pete and Ellie's surprise though, she comes with a little brother and little sister. Now with 3 latin kids under their house, the hi-jinks, comedy, horror and drama begin to take shape.
There is a sense of realism found here and it makes sense when you find out that director Sean Anders based this film on his own experiences in adopting 3 latin children. So there are plenty of little looks and ticks that Wahlberg and Rose Byrne do in the film that feel extremely natural and real. Kids yelling that they only want to eat potato chips for dinner instead of the home cooked meal hits home. A look on the face of a parent receiving a hug after a fight. I imagine it's extremely hard for foster parents to be in these situations. How many times are the kids going to throw "You're not my real mother" in their faces. A lot it seems.
Despite trying their best to provide the absolute best living conditions they can offer, it never seems good enough for Liz, the 15 year old. She seems hellbent on making things difficult for her new foster parents. It's clear she has trust issues and her siblings are too young to really acknowledge what's going on. These kids come from a broken home and despite that, Liz wants her real mother back, no matter the cost. The formula for this film leans more on the generic side and you won't find many surprises by the film's end, but I don't think people are going to want to. I think you'll know what you are getting early on in the film and will enjoy the ride nonetheless.
A lot of this sounds dramatic and it is. But there is a lot of funny bits sprinkled throughout to keep it more on the lighter side of things. When a tired kid says "Thanks Mommy" for the first time, Byrne is willing to try and casually wake the kid up again just to confirm what she heard was the word mommy. It's a sweet scene that brought a smile to my face. Characters aren't put in "funny scenarios", the comedy comes from the character interactions in real situations. It's 2vs3 in this house and the banding together to overpower children is comical.
Instant Family is a good film that balances the drama pretty well with the comedy. Don't expect many laugh out loud moments, just a few laughs and smiles to go with a good family drama.