BITE-SIZED REVIEW: Instant Family (Sean Anders, 2018)

Ellie and Pete (Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne) make a living renovating and flipping houses. After a series of impulsive decisions, they become foster parents for three young siblings (Isabela Merced, Gustavo Escobar and Julianna Gamiz). 

At first, the couple think they have it figured out. But they quickly realise that raising kids is not the same as building a house.

This is one of the most shocking movies I have seen recently. Shocking because I had the displeasure of watching director Sean Anders' previous movie That's My Boy and I cannot believe this movie is as good as it is.

Mark Wahlberg is a legit a-hole and yet I totally bought him as one half of these would-be parents. When Wahlberg is ongame, he brings a weird sense of sincerity to his role - part of why he is so funny in The Other Guys is because he is the straight man. He is on a similar wavelength with his role in Instant Family. Pete is a goodhearted lunkhead who lacks pretense or tact -  it is one of his most likeable performances.

One of these days, Rose Byrne is going to win Oscars, and people are going to forget how consistently great she has been. Ellie and Pete are super-motivated people but this situation puts them completely out of their element. Byrne’s role feels like a comment on how comedically neutered women’s roles in these movies usually are.

Isabela Merced plays Lizzy, the oldest sibling and surrogate parent to her two siblings. She has the meatiest of the kid roles, and adds a welcome friction to the dynamic with the parents. She has believable high status over Ellie and Pete as they try to figure out what they are doing.

 

Midway through the movie, Margo Martindale shows up as Pete’s mum Sandy Wagner. Overbearing and goodhearted, she is a bolt of energy.

Tig Notaro and Octavia Spencer play the social workers who guide the parents-to-be through the foster care process.

In a fun bit of casting, Eighties comedy players Michael O'Keefe (Caddyshack) and Julie Hagerty (Airplane) play Ellie’s parents. More bizarre is Joan Cusack’s appearance as a random bystander that feels like an in-joke for the filmmakers - did she visit the set one day? It is great to see her, but a minor shame that she is in such a strange role.

There are moments that might be a bit over-the-top, or feel a bit sachrinine, but then the script will emphasise parts of the process or throw the family an obstacle.A movie that could be overly sweet is offset by enough sour moments that it fooled my bullshit detector. The movie is funny and real and obvious and poignant and sentimental and none of it threw me out.

This movie was made by the same guy who made That’s My Boy and the Daddy’s Home duology. The success of those movies gave Anders the cachet to make this and it hit - does this mean growth? 

All I can say is this is a good movie that I can see becoming comfort food. It is nice. And that is not meant as faint praise.

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