“Family!”

From Instant Family.

Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) enjoyed their lives for many years with a nice house, sweet dog, a solid business flipping houses, but they feel something is missing in their lives.  On a whim, they look into becoming foster parents and sharing the goodness of their life with a child.  After going through the certification, they prepare to meet children but no child seems to be the perfect match until they meet the feisty teenager, Lizzy (Isabela Moner).  The Wagners inform their caseworkers (Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro) that they’re interested in taking Lizzy in and are informed that she has two younger siblings: Juan (Gustavo Quiroz) and Lita (Julianna Gamiz).  Not wanting to break up the family, the Wagners take all three kids.  What follows is a crazy life adventure for this instant family where each side is trying to figure out the other.  The struggles vary from teenage rebellion with Lizzy to emergency room visits with Juan to a refusal to eat anything besides chips from Lita.  Pete and Ellie work their way through figuring out how to be parents for the first time; all of the craziness is only added to by Pete and Ellie’s mothers (Margo Martindale and Julie Hagerty), visits with the birth mother, and everyday craziness that is life.

Inspired by a true story, this movie manages to capture both the highs and lows of the foster care system.  While this is not a traditional comedy, any viewer who has had any contact with the foster or adoption process in America will enjoy the chance to both laugh and cry as the story progresses.  The rewarding challenges of (foster) parenting are displayed in such a way that the slightly-over-exagerated craziness provides an emotional break from seriousness that lies under the surface of the entire movie.  Wahlberg and Byrne lead well, both with heart and laughter that rings true on many levels.  Instant Family is a touching comedy that will stay with the viewer long after the credits roll.

| Rated: PG-13 | Running Time: 120 minutes |Genre: biography/comedy/drama |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 4* of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 1 of 10|Gore: 1 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|