Instant Family

''Instant Family'' is a 2018 American family comedy-drama film starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne as parents who foster three siblings, played by Isabela Merced, Gustavo Quiroz, and Julianna Gamiz. It also stars Margo Martindale, Julie Hagerty, Tig Notaro, and Octavia Spencer. The film is directed by Sean Anders, who wrote the screenplay with John Morris, based in part on Anders' own experiences.

''Instant Family'' was released in the United States on November 16, 2018. It grossed $121 million worldwide, and was called an "earnest, heartwarming comedy" by critics, who also praised the performances.

Plot

Married couple Pete and Ellie Wagner, derided by relatives who think they will never have children, consider adoption. They join a network of foster care, led by social workers Karen and Sharon. At a fair to meet foster children, Ellie is voicing her reluctance to foster or adopt a teen when they are confronted by 15-year-old Lizzie, who impresses them.

Karen and Sharon reveal that Lizzie has two siblings, 11-year-old Juan and 6-year-old Lita, and that their mother is a drug addict and in jail; if they want to adopt Lizzie, they must take Juan and Lita too. The Wagners' meeting with Lizzie and her siblings does not result in an immediate connection, making them reconsider. At Thanksgiving dinner with Ellie's family, Pete and Ellie say they have decided not to adopt. After the family admits no one actually believed it would work out, Pete and Ellie decide to officially adopt the children.

Lizzie, Juan, and Lita move in with the Wagners, whose lives become hectic – Lita throws tantrums, Juan is extremely emotional and fragile, and Lizzie resents Ellie's attempts to parent them. The Wagners turn to a foster parent support group.

Pete's mother Sandy wins the kids over by taking the family to Six Flags, but Lizzie disappears with friends and returns late, prompting Pete to ground her.

The next day, as Pete and Ellie confront Lizzie trying to leave with friends, Juan accidentally shoots a nail into his foot with a nail gun. Seeing Pete and Ellie rush a hysterical Juan to the hospital and comfort both Juan and Lita, Lizzie begins to warm up to them, taking the blame in front of social worker Karen.

After a fight between Lizzie and Ellie sparked by suppressed emotions on Lizzie's part, Pete invites her to vent her frustrations by demolishing the kitchen of the house he is renovating, resulting in Lizzie apologizing and she and Ellie making peace.

Lita calls Pete "Daddy" after he fixes her doll during Lizzie's soccer practice. One night, Ellie walks into Juan and Lita's room after hearing Juan having a nightmare and crying in his sleep. After Ellie comforts him, Juan says, "Good night, Mommy” and Ellie is overjoyed.

Carla, the kids' mother, who has recently been released from prison, reunites with her children and meets Pete and Ellie. Carla's visits disrupt the Wagner household; the children become more unruly, leaving Pete and Ellie demotivated and frustrated. The Wagners express their feelings to the support group, but the social workers explain that ultimately the system's major goal is to keep families together, and the children may be returned to their birth mother.

When arriving home, Pete and Ellie are horrified to discover Lizzie exchanging naked pictures of herself with Jacob, her boyfriend at school. Pete and Ellie seek out the Fernandez family, whose adoptive daughter Brenda had inspired them at their orientation. They learn Brenda is back in rehab, but Mr. and Mrs. Fernandez assure the Wagners that "things that matter are hard".

When taking the children to school the next day, Pete and Ellie learn from a student, Charlie, that Jacob - the school's 22-year-old janitor, has been hanging around with Lizzie after they mistake Charlie for Jacob. They confront and beat up Jacob, and he is arrested, as are Pete and Ellie, resulting in Juan and Lita being left in the car unattended. Returning home after posting bail, Pete and Ellie are told by Sandy that they need to reassure Lizzie that they love her.

At the children's court hearing, the judge reads a statement from Lizzie, detailing Pete and Ellie's actions negatively and leaving out key details. He refuses to let Ellie read her own statement, and the children are returned to Carla. Juan and Lita do not want to leave the Wagners, but Lizzie is eager to. The next day, however, Karen and Sharon arrive to tell them that Carla never met them to pick up the kids, and they went to her house to find her. Carla told them she's not ready to take her kids back, and admits that Lizzie filled out most of the paperwork to reunite the family. Lizzie still believes they can go back, until Karen and Sharon reveal that Carla is using drugs again. Heartbroken and devastated by the news, Lizzie tearfully runs away as Pete and Ellie chase her. They reassure her that they love her, and all three reconcile.

Four months later, the family prepare and attend another court hearing (during which Lizzie is seen calling Ellie and Pete "Mom" and "Papá"), where they finalize the adoption of Lizzie, Juan and Lita. The family pose for a picture, joined by the judge, members of their extended family, and fellow foster families.

Cast

* Mark Wahlberg as Peter "Pete" Wagner
* Rose Byrne as Elinore "Ellie" Wagner
* Isabela Merced as Elizabeth "Lizzie" Wagner, 15-years old and the oldest sibling.
* Gustavo Escobar as Juan Wagner, 11-years old and the middle sibling.
* Julianna Gamiz as Lita Isabella Wagner, 6-years old and the youngest sibling.
* Octavia Spencer as Karen, one of the social workers who guides the parents-to-be through the foster care process
* Tig Notaro as Sharon, one of the social workers who guide the parents-to-be through the foster care process
* Margo Martindale as Grandma Sandy Wagner, Pete's overbearing and goodhearted mother
* Julie Hagerty as Jan, Ellie's soft-spoken and naive mother
* Michael O'Keefe as Jerry, Ellie's father
* Tom Segura as Russ, Kim's husband
* Allyn Rachel as Kim, Ellie's sister
* Iliza Shlesinger as October
* Valente Rodriguez as Judge Rivas, the Adoption Court Judge
* Charlie McDermott as Stewart, Pete's co-worker
* Carson Holmes as Charlie
* Nicholas Logan as Jacob
* Joselin Reyes as Carla, the children's birthmother
* Eve Harlow as Brenda
* Andrea Anders as Jessie
* Gary Weeks as Dirk
* Joan Cusack as Mrs. Howard

Production

The film was inspired by Anders' own experiences fostering and then adopting three siblings. The children were aged 6 years, 3 years, and 18 months. Anders talked to other adoptive families and teenagers who had grown up in care and then been adopted in order to research the character of Lizzie.

Rose Byrne joined the cast of the film on November 17, 2017. Isabela Merced co-stars alongside Mark Wahlberg for a second time, after previously working together on '' Transformers: The Last Knight'' in 2017. Octavia Spencer, Tig Notaro, Iliza Shlesinger, Gustavo Escobar (Gustavo Quiroz), Julianna Gamiz, and Tom Segura were added to the cast in February 2018, with filming beginning the following month, and lasting until May 14.

Release

''Instant Family'' was originally scheduled for release in the United States on February 15, 2019, before being moved up three months, to November 16, 2018. On November 10, 2018, it was announced the film's November 11 premiere in Los Angeles would be canceled due to the Woolsey Fire, but that a screening would take place at an evacuation center for victims of the fires. ''Instant Family'' became available on Digital on February 19, 2019, and on DVD/Blu-Ray on March 5, 2019.

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $67.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $53.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $121 million, against a production budget of $48 million.

In the United States and Canada, ''Instant Family'' was released alongside '' Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'' and ''Widows'', and was projected to gross $15–20 million from 3,258 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $4.8 million on its first day, including $550,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $14.7 million, finishing fourth at the box office. ''Deadline Hollywood'' said the opening, compared to the $48 million budget, "isn't spectacular, but there's hope that hefilm could leg out...over Thanksgiving." In its second weekend, the film dropped 14% to $12.5 million (including $17.4 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame), finishing sixth.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews and an average rating of . The website's critical consensus reads, "''Instant Family'' may not quite capture the complexity of real-life adoption, but fittingly for the unconditional bond it honors, this flawed yet well-intentioned dramedy is ultimately worth the investment." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 83% overall positive score and a 61% "definite recommend".

References

External links

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{{Sean Anders

2018 films
2018 comedy-drama films
American comedy-drama films
Comedy-drama films based on actual events
2010s English-language films
Films about adoption
Films directed by Sean Anders
Films produced by John Morris (filmmaker)
Films produced by Mark Wahlberg
Films scored by Michael Andrews
Films set in California
Films shot in Atlanta
Paramount Pictures films
Films with screenplays by John Morris (filmmaker)
Films with screenplays by Sean Anders
Hispanic and Latino American comedy films
Thanksgiving in films
Films about parenting
2010s American films
English-language comedy-drama films