Instant Family

Last updated
Instant Family
InstantFamily.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sean Anders
Written by
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Brett Pawlak
Edited byBrad Wilhite
Music by Michael Andrews
Production
companies
Leverage Entertainment
Closest to The Hole Productions
Two Grown Men Productions
Distributed by Paramount Pictures [1]
Release date
  • November 16, 2018 (2018-11-16)
Running time
118 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$48 million [2]
Box office$121 million [2]

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.

Contents

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. [3]

Plot

Couple Pete and Ellie Wagner, pressured by family to have children, consider adoption. They join a foster care course, led by social workers Karen and Sharon. At a fair to meet children, Ellie is voicing her reluctance towards fostering teens when they are confronted by 15-year-old Lizzie, who impresses them.

The Wagners discover Lizzie and her siblings', 11-year-old Juan and 6-year-old Lita, mother Carla is an incarceratd drug addict; must be kept together. In their first meeting with the trio, they do not immediately connect, so they reconsider. At Thanksgiving dinner with Ellie's family, the couple announce they are not going to adopt. Everyone admits no one believed they would, so 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 their foster parent support group. Pete's mother Sandy wins the kids over by taking everyone to Six Flags, but Lizzie disappears with friends and returns late, so Pete grounds her.

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

After Lizzie and Ellie argue, sparked by suppressed Lizzie's emotions, Pete invites her to vent by helping demolish the kitchen of a renovation project. She later apologizes to Ellie, calling a truce.

Over the next months, the Wagners relationship with the children gradually improves. Lita calls Pete "Daddy" first. Then, one night Ellie comforts Juan when he has a nightmare. She is overjoyed when, afterwards he says, "Good night, Mommy”.

Recently released from prison, Carla reunites with them, meeting Pete and Ellie. The younger two do not want to go to her, with Lita even calling Ellie mom. Carla's visits disrupt the Wagner household; the children become more unruly, leaving the Wagners demotivated and frustrated. They express their feelings in the support group, but the social workers explain the ultimate goal is to keep families together, so the children could return their birth mother.

Arriving home, Pete and Ellie are horrified to discover Lizzie exchanging naked pictures of herself with Jacob, from school. Pete and Ellie seek out the Fernandezes, whose adoptive daughter Brenda had inspired them at their orientation. They learn she 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, Sandy tells them that they need to reassure Lizzie that they love her.

At the children's court hearing, the judge reads Lizzie's negative statement about Pete and Ellie's actions, leaving out key details. He refuses to let Ellie read her own statement, so Carla wins custody. Juan and Lita do not want to leave the Wagners, but Lizzie is pleased.

The next day, however, Karen and Sharon arrive without Carla. When she did not show up, they went to find her. Carla is not ready to take them back, admitting that Lizzie did the paperwork to reunite them. Karen and Sharon further reveal that Carla is using drugs again. Heartbroken and devastated, Lizzie tearfully runs away as Pete and Ellie follow. Ellie has Lizzie read their court statement, insisting she and Pete love her, and all three reconcile.

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

Cast

Production

The film was inspired by Anders's 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. [4] [5]

Rose Byrne joined the cast of the film on November 17, 2017. [6] 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. [7] [8]

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. [9] 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. [10] Instant Family became available on Digital on February 19, 2019, and on DVD/Blu-Ray on March 5, 2019. [11]

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. [2]

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. [12] 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 [the] film could leg out...over Thanksgiving." [13] In its second weekend, the film dropped 14% to $12.5 million (including $17.4 million over the five-day Thanksgiving frame), finishing sixth. [14]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82% based on 155 reviews and an average rating of 6.6/10. 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." [15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [16] 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". [13]

References

  1. ↑ Frosch, Jon (November 14, 2018). "'Instant Family': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "Instant Family (2018)". Box Office Mojo . Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  3. ↑ Fujitani, Ryan (November 21, 2018). "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Could Use a Bit More Magic". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  4. ↑ Minow, Nell (14 November 2018). "Sean Anders on the Real-Life Inspiration Behind Instant Family, Working with Mark Wahlberg and More | Interviews | Roger Ebert". Rogerebert.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "How a joke led to fatherhood for 'Instant Family' writer". Today.com. 3 December 2018. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  6. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (17 November 2017). "Rose Byrne Joins Mark Wahlberg In 'Instant Family' From Paramount". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on 20 November 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  7. ↑ "Octavia Spencer, Tig Notaro Join Mark Wahlberg Comedy 'Instant Family' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 23 February 2018. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  8. ↑ "Now Casting: Play a Couple in 'Instant Family' With Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne + 3 More Gigs". Backstage.com. 1 March 2018. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  9. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 13, 2018). "Paramount Moves Mark Wahlberg Pic 'Instant Family' To Pre-Thanksgiving Frame". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  10. ↑ Hayden, Erik (November 10, 2018). "Paramount Cancels 'Instant Family' Red Carpet in L.A. Amid Fires". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Instant Family DVD Release Date March 5, 2019". Dvdsreleasedates.com. Archived from the original on 2019-01-26. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  12. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (November 13, 2018). "Box Office: 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' Sequel Heads for $250 Million Global Launch". Variety . Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  13. 1 2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 16, 2018). "'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald' Steals $9.1M+ In Thursday Night Previews – Update". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  14. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 25, 2018). "'Ralph' Scoring 2nd Best Thanksgiving Debut With $84M+; 'Creed II' $55M+ Live-Action Champ; 'Robin Hood' Goes Wrong At $14M+". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 25, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Instant Family (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Instant Family reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
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