Instant Family

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabel Moner, Gustavo Escobar, Julianna Gamiz, Octavia Spencer, Tig Notaro, Tom Segura, Margo Martindale, Joan Cusack, Julie Hagerty, Iliza Schlesinger
Directed by: Sean Anders
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2018

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A couple (Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne) find their lives disrupted when they foster three children (Isabel Moner, Gustavo Escobar, Julianna Gamiz).

Review:

Tim:
I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical heading into Instant Family. Yes, director Sean Anders has proven to be a surprisingly director. However, this movie looked like another throwaway comedy. First impressions are so often deceiving, though. This movie has real heart, addresses a worthwhile and serious issue, and proves to be funny and entertaining. It definitely has some flaws, but Instant Family is an enjoyable comedy and a good movie.

I have to say I'm been somewhat impressed with Sean Anders as a director. He hasn't even gotten close to a great movie, but he's proven an ability to take movies that probably shouldn't work and find a way to salvation a win. There was every reason to think Horrible Bosses 2 would be a mess- it was a comedy sequel and they brought in a new director. Sure, that movie had issues, but Anders was able to craft an entertaining film that was better than expected. Daddy's Home was a misstep- I really thought that movie was disappointing. That film of his was actually as bad as it looked. However, rather than continuing down that path, Anders directs the sequel to that film- Daddy's Home 2 that was a big improvement over the original. I certainly never expected to see that. While I wouldn't say Anders is a good director yet, he's been better than expected.

The same thing happens with Instant Family. From the outset, this looked like a movie we've seen before- a lightweight comedy about crazy families coming together. However, it proved to be much more than that. First off, the movie spends an unexpected amount of time examining the issue of children in foster care. This is obviously used to create humorous situations, but there was an underlying sadness in the tragedy of how many thousands and thousands of children who were either abandoned or living in untenable, toxic situations. This is a legitimate threat to this country and it's a travesty that so many children will never realize their full potential in life because of the environment in which they were raised. It's awful to think about innocent children in bad situations who just need someone to love them and provide them with guidance. I didn't expect the movie to address such an important issue in a way that didn't feel like a joke. Lots of humor comes from the difficulty of fostering children, but at the heart of the film is a really serious issue. Anders does a fantastic job of balancing the dramatic realism of the issue, but still telling a funny, entertaining story. That's really why this movie works as well as it does.

I enjoyed the pairing of Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne. They've both done numerous movies like this before and their experience showed up here. Wahlberg is really effective in these comedy roles and he does a good job here. He connects with the audience and is relatable. Byrne is even better- she's a strong, talented actress who is disarmingly funny. You never quite expect her comedic timing to be as incredible as it is. They worked well together and were both funny and authentic as parents. This movie is greatly helped by their performances. I thought Isabel Moner did a great job, too. She's young, but I'm sure will have a solid career in Hollywood. Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro brought some supporting humor, but they were also able to make some of the serious issues feel real with their performances. I always love seeing Margo Martindale, and it was fun seeing Joan Cusack, even if she had a weirdly small and unimportant role. The cast as a whole was quite effective.

This film did a good job of mining its story for authentically funny situations. A lot of comedies fail because the only way they can generate laughs is to go so extreme that they leave the realistic world behind. Those are cheap laughs when it might be funny, but so ridiculous that you know something like that could never really happen. Instant Family is an entertaining comedy because it's humor feels rooted in reality. I so appreciated the effort to do this- it's not easy (that's why so many comedies fail to do it). Sean Anders and John Morris wrote a funny, effective script. Sure, there are too many moments that fall flat. There are stretches that aren't all that humorous. This isn't a great comedy, although it is a worthwhile one.

I didn't expect to like Instant Family as much as I did. It's an entertaining film that generates some authentic laughs from real-life situations. Sure, I wish the movie was better- but it looked like it wasn't going to come together at all. I give Anders credit for defying those expectations and delivering a solid comedy.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Neighbors, Daddy's Home, Daddy's Home 2, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising