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A prerecorded statement from the film’s director, Sean Anders, was shown on the big screen prior to my screening of “Instant Family” this week. According to him, the movie they were about to watch was based on a true story—his own true story—and that he was the star of it. As a result, Anders and his wife adopted three children from the foster care system, encountering a variety of obstacles along the way. This experience prompted Anders to adapt their story for a big-budget studio comedy starring Mark Wahlberg, which was released in 2012.
According to the director, “Instant Family” is a film with noble intentions, but its tone is uneven, leaving me with conflicting emotions after watching it. It appeared as though the sentimentality of the speech was intended to preempt any criticism. In the film’s wild swings between tragedy and goofy comedy, the uneasiness persisted.
Wahlberg and Byrne play Pete and Ellie, a middle-class couple who flip houses and live in a relatively tame, childless middle-class lifestyle. Following an altercation with Ellie’s sister, the couple decides to pursue the possibility of starting a family. They decide to foster in the hopes of adopting an older child because they are concerned about their age. They become involved in the case of Lizzy (Isabela Moner), a bright but troubled adolescent who happens to be on their radar by chance. Following their discovery that Lizzy is accompanied by two younger siblings, a sensitive boy named Juan (Gustavo Quiroz) and a tantrum-prone girl named Lita (Julianna Gamiz), the couple decides to take all three of them into their home. After an all-too-brief honeymoon period, chaos ensues as first-time parents struggle to cope with the demands of caring for a traumatized teenager and two terrified children.
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Even though Anders, who also co-wrote the film, injects some serious doses of reality into the storyline, the premise of “Instant Family” is not one to be dismissed lightly. There is a possibility that the children in the foster care system have been abused or are struggling to cope with the loss of their parents, and the film is refreshingly honest about these issues. However, in scenes such as the support group sessions, the sincerity of the actors can be called into question. A scene occurs in which Pete and Ellie describe how wonderful their new foster children are, and the group laughs in recognition of the new family’s honeymoon period, but it’s a stilted kind of laugh that comes across as awkward and somewhat mean. It appears staged in comparison to the natural bon mots thrown by Tig Notaro and Octavia Spencer, both of whom single-handedly save those scenes with their timing and delivery. Tig Notaro and Octavia Spencer
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However, while the characters played by Wahlberg and Byrne appear to be underdeveloped, Moner’s divisive character emerges as the true leader of “Instant Family.” Moner’s performance is surprisingly uncanny, bringing to life a volatile personality without the use of over-the-top gestures or facial expressions. She had the ability to smile while delivering a ruthless insult, to hurt Ellie with the smallest of gestures, and to fix her gaze coldly on any authority figure who dared to parent her. She was a dangerous woman. Moner connects Lizzy’s defensive actions to her vulnerability, and she’s equally capable of crumpling into a sobbing mess or laughing with her siblings, depending on the situation.
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With previous credits that include “Daddy’s Home” and “That’s My Boy,” Anders has attempted to explore the humorous side of fatherhood on several occasions. While the sincerity in “Instant Family” may not always mesh well with the film’s need for punchlines, it does provide a chance for a young actress like Moner to demonstrate a wide range of emotions. Aside from that, with a supporting cast that includes Notaro, Spencer, Margo Martindale, and Joan Cusack, there are just enough oddly sweet performances to make you smile and laugh out loud. “Instant Family” is a heartwarming family film that isn’t overly sentimental, and it has a certain charm in its earnest appeal to tell a different story than the norm.
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