Instant Family

I've literally NEVER reviewed anything before. I've never felt I needed to...

That being said - As I was a foster child this hit me square in the face. It was one of the hardest movies for me to watch. Its depiction of how the kids act is 100% accurate. Its one of the hardest things to see and admit now - Being that I'm older.

This movie needs more attention and I hope that my rating helps with that. It needs to be watched by all... I was laughing AND crying (I'm ex-Navy and a very stoic person).

What a great film! This movie is so funny and has such a good story. Great cast. Loved that Russ guy. So funny. His wardrobe was on point. His jeans were High and tight. Try it out! Makes you want to be home here now!

I grew up in the foster care system and lived in 7 different homes. This film was refreshingly accurate in terms of what it is like in the system and the adjustment periods when moving to a new family. The teenage daughter's rebellion, the honeymoon period, the awkward reactions from the other relatives, all of it is the real deal. I cried my eyes out throughout this film because it brought a flood of memories rushing back to me. I finally have a film that I can show someone when I want them to understand what it was like for me as a foster child. I loved it so much. If you want some insight into how the foster care system works, or you're just looking for a heartwarming film about family, this film is a MUST WATCH.

Director Sean Anders has been known to make some very raunchy comedies so when hearing about his latest project I was wondering how this would play out. I have to say I had high expectations for this movie as it dealt with a heavier subject matter than any of his previous films. The best part about Instant Family is that it is inspired by Anders' real life family, and they always say "write what you know".

He definitely knows what he's writing here, and doesn't shy away from making audiences both laugh and cry while watching this family come together through some not so easy circumstances.

As always Mark Wahlberg is the macho man father we all know and love, but here we are able to see a different side of him. We are able to see some real emotion come from Wahlberg and it doesn't feel forced. I'm sure having a few children of his own helped with that while prepping his performance.

The real surprise in "Instant Family" is how funny the film is, and for the families watching it's no where near as rude or raunchy as Anders' previous work. There are a few risqué scenes here and there, but that's to be expected when dealing with teenagers. However these scenes are ultimately believable and aren't that over the top to bring down the feel good nature of the film.

Overall Instant Family was a real surprise, a light hearted comedy which shows the struggles some families go through in order to become one. The supporting cast of Tig Notaro, Octavia Spencer, and the always perfect Margo Martendale make Instant Family a true family treat. Hopefully director Sean Anders continues along the line of light hearted comedies as this may be his best film yet

Instant Family Review:

Instant Family is comedy based on the true story of a married couple, Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne), who decide to foster three kids and they must face the challenges that come with it. This was a very enjoyable happy, feel-good movie. The story was very interesting, yet predictable, that made you feel for the people. Both Mark and Rose did a good job. Isabella Moner as Liszt, the oldest child, was probably the best part of the film. She brought so much to the table and gave it all she had. She was also in the recent summer movie sequel Sicario: Day of the Saldado and she did well in that too. The other two kids, Gustavo Quiroz (Juan) and Julianna Gamiz (Lita), we're very good child actors. Octavia Spencer was hilarious and amazing as always. This movie had some great humor. It could also be serious and knew how to switch tones well. It was a little bit long, just about two hours, and I felt that some scenes could've been cut out. Also we didn't know much of a background for Pete and Ellie so I didn't feel as strong as a connection for them as I wanted to. Another thing is the trailer kind of showed the whole movie with some stuff taken out, which I've seen a lot of trailers doing that lately (Welcome to Marwen). This is a very enjoyable film and I think people will like it. It probably won't make as much money with Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald coming out and many more, but I would recommend it.

My Grade: B+