Instant Family
- Director: Sean Anders
- Writer: John Morris; Sean Anders
- Producer: John Morris; Mark Wahlberg; Stephen Levinson; Helen Pollak
CGiii Comment
On paper, this sounds absolutely awful [especially with it being a Hollywood production]...hold your breath, grab your hats...surprisingly, it's not! Not by a long shot.
Yes...there are the [unnecessary] Hollywood-isms and a fair amount of ripe cheese...but, behind all the schmaltz...there is true grit.
Foster/adoption fairs...seriously, 'they' have go-and-pick-a-kid days...where all the kids sit around waiting to be chosen by over-zealous, picky, potential parents...WHAT!?!...and that's not a Hollywood invention, these 'fairs' actually happen [frequently]! Hello...HELLO!?! Who came up with that idea? And...who allowed these 'fairs' to actually happen!?! Whoever it was is - chronically - not fit for purpose...
Social workers...over-worked, duly stressed...[some, not all, incompetent, negligent, apathetic]...and, [all] up-to-their-necks in the quagmire that is political correctness...of course, there's a gay couple! Instant Family does not shy away...even addressing the - wait-for-it - we-don't-like-this-kid-we-would-like-to-return-it! You can't be serious!?!
So...yes, a very big surprise indeed. Really, it's an emotional rollercoaster...and, if it manages to deliver a well-deserved slap-on-the-face or a kick-up-the-backside to the many social-work departments throughout the world...then, kudos. The power of this film is...it's not an all-out assault on the fostering/adoption process. Some scenes will stick in your throat. Some will make you cry. Some will make you laugh...but, as a whole, you should leave this film thinking...
Wake up...the system is broken...smell the coffee...now, fix it...now!
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
When Pete and Ellie decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. They hope to take in one small child but when they meet three siblings, including a rebellious 15 year old girl, they find themselves speeding from zero to three kids overnight.
Cast & Characters
Mark Wahlberg as Pete;
Rose Byrne as Ellie;
Isabela Moner as Lizzy;
Gustavo Quiroz as Juan;
Julianna Gamiz as Lita;
Octavia Spencer as Karen;
Tig Notaro as Sharon;
Tom Segura as Russ;
Allyn Rachel as Kim;
Britt Rentschler as Linda;
Jody Thompson as Jim;
Margo Martindale as Grandma Sandy;
Julie Hagerty as Jan;
Michael O'Keefe as Jerry;
Joan Cusack as Mrs. Howard;
Gary Weeks as Dirk;
Joy Jacobson as Dana;
Andrea Anders as Jessie;
Kenneth Israel as David;
Hampton Fluker as Kit