Entering the arena! Standing five-foot-eight and weighing in at 185 pounds! From Dorchester! MAHHHK WAHLBERG!!!
Oh yeahhhhh! Marky Mark is back with this heart-warming comedy Instant Family directed by Sean Anders. The story of a couple (Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne) and their desire to have children, Instant Family brings the laughs, smiles, and tears while telling a heartfelt tale of adoption.
I'm not going to talk to much about this one because from the trailers you should know what to expect from this on a foundation basis. This film follows the typical beats of a family-friendly comedy but really connects unlike the majority of others. The pacing of this film is great from the start and it's a quick, fun ride in the theater. Both Wahlberg and Byrne deliver some of their best performances and really capture the emotion of the subject, especially during the more heated moments of the film. The three children are standouts in this one, each one bringing laughs, smiles, and tears in different ways. The contrast of each child really makes this movie an enjoyable one that keeps you interested throughout. If the story was just about one child or siblings with similar attitudes, then this could have been less successful, but the dynamics of the three children and their adoptive parents is at the heart of this to a very effective degree. The side characters, one of which is played by Octavia Spencer, are also excellent, serving more as comedic foils.
As I said before, this movie is heart-warming and will make you smile throughout. Sean Anders does a great job of developing the relationships between each child and their adoptive parent to the point where by the end of the film you feel connected to the newly-formed family. The montages of tough-parenting and the occasional group meetings amongst adopters provide for more laughs and sympathetic tales.
Overall, Instant Family is the perfect family film and achieves its genre's purpose to a tee. The plot and acting is nothing groundbreaking or Oscar-worthy, but sometimes its nice to take a step back and have fun once and a while. It hits many of the same beats you would expect from a film like this, but really dials in on the emotion. If you're a film fan, someone looking for a laugh and a smile, or just simply want to support Marky Mark and the bunch, I suggest you check this one out.
My Score: C+