Review: Instant Family

Instant Family, inspired by the personal experiences of writer-director Sean Anders and his wife, often plays like an extended PSA for singletons and couples to consider being foster parents. Clumsily treading the line between earnest and goofy, it nevertheless endears due to its appealing cast and heartfelt intentions.

Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne play Pete and Ellie, a married couple who flip houses for a living and seem to live a content and childless life. That is, until one day, after an argument with Ellie's sister, they begin to contemplate why they never had children. They never had enough time, they were too busy getting their business off the ground, so maybe now is the perfect time. Pete points out that they may be too old and jokes about adopting a five-year-old to make up for lost time. His offhanded remark sparks something in Ellie, who suggests they think about being foster parents.

One of Instant Family's strongest elements is its honesty about the realities of foster care. Children often come from abused homes and older kids have an especially difficult time of it as they aren't as appealing as younger kids. More than half of the older kids who age out of the system end up homeless, addicted, incarcerated, or dead within two years. It's no wonder that whatever reservations Pete and Ellie may have had disappear in the light of those facts. Yet even they weren't prepared for suddenly being foster parents to the smart but wary fifteen-year-old Lizzy (Isabela Moner) and her two younger siblings, Lita (Julianna Gamiz), who is prone to temper tantrums, and the overly sensitive Juan (Gustavo Quiroz).

Initially, they're pleasantly surprised by how easy being parents can be though, as the amused leaders of the foster training program (wonderfully portrayed by both Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro) and other new foster parents point out, Pete and Ellie are still in the honeymoon phase. Indeed, it's not too long before the expected trials and tribulations bubble to the surface, with Ellie especially beleaguered when dealing with the volatile Lizzy, who is not about to hand over the parental reins so easily. Moner is fantastic in the role, perfectly embodying Lizzy's toughness and vulnerability without veering into the usual melodramatics.

It's a mystery that Byrne continues to remain one of the most underrated of her time for she is magnificent in a role that often demands extreme swings of emotions and tone. Watch as she shifts from relative drama to hysterical comedy in the scene where, after having decided to not go through with the foster care program, she decides in no uncertain terms to move forward, almost just to spite her doubting family. The way Byrne maintains the dramatic essence even when aiming for laughs is masterful.

In many respects, she and Moner are the real reasons Instant Family works despite its many flaws, which include a by-the-numbers narrative and issues with taste and tact. Anders is also to be commended for not smoothing down the rough edges too much, though one wishes he wouldn't have wasted the talents of actors like Julie Hagerty, Margo Martindale and Joan Cusack in such small, almost unnecessary roles.

Instant Family

Directed by: Sean Anders

Written by: Sean Anders, John Morris

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Moner, Gustavo Quiroz, Julianna Gamiz, Octavio Spencer, Tig Notaro, Julie Hagerty, Margo Martindale, Michael O'Keefe, Tom Segura, Joan Cusack, Iliza Shlesinger