Edinburgh and Us: Snap Review

Have you ever wanted to find out a little bit about a new film to get an indication of whether you’ll like it or not, and ended up reading the entire story? We have. That is why our snap reviews are designed specifically to help you decide if it’s one to watch without giving everything away.

Sean Anders' heart-warming American comedy-drama starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne as first-time foster parents.

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4 Stars – Very Good

Instant Family is about a married couple, Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) who, feeling a void in their lives, consider becoming adoptive parents.

They visit a foster care centre, where they are met by a comedic duo of social workers Karen (Octavia Spencer) and Sharon (Tig Notaro) who guide the parents-to-be through the process. Key to the film’s success is the script which is full of quips between Pete and Ellie that are particularly funny during sessions with others looking to adopt – from same-sex couples to single people to couples unable to conceive. The film exemplifies the varied mix of people who might like to adopt and all the reasons that could lead them to that point, whilst sharing a sense of what life might be like for someone who doesn’t have a family.

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Director and co-writer Sean Anders used his own personal experiences as a foster father as the inspiration behind this sweet drama. He and his wife went from having no children to having three and his compassion shines through in the story. Although the film accentuates the joy, laughter and love involved in adoption, it also shares some tragedy and challenges – for example problems when children have experienced trauma or difficult situations.

The couple must attend a fair where they can interact with children to see which they might like to adopt. This is where the film does well to show how issues such as how prospective foster parents are less inclined to adopt teenagers. Pete convinces his more hesitant wife to approach the teenagers where they meet Lizzie (Isabela Moner) and find what Pete lightly describes as a ‘cosmic connection’.

Mark Wahlberg has previously worked with the director in his ‘Daddy’s Home’ films and with actress Rose Byrne in ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’. In the role as Pete, Wahlberg plays a sweet and caring husband and father and he empathetically conveys all the emotions experienced on the journey to making a family. Rose Byrne, as Ellie, delivers an equally impressive performance. She allows the audience to relate to their quest to be accepted as foster-parents and the ups and downs involved in their endeavour to create a family unit that works for everyone involved.

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Instant Family is filled with both weepy and humorous moments between characters which are effective in capturing some of the complexities of real-life adoption and the strength of the bonds that can be created. It gives viewers a better understanding of some of the positive aspects of adoption in a way that could potentially encourage others to become a family for someone.

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Details

Language: English

UK release date: February 15, 2019

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Length: 119 minutes

Country: United States

Director: Sean Anders

Screenplay: Sean Anders and John Morris

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Moner, Gustavo Quiroz, Julianna Gamiz, Octavia Spencer, Tig Notaro

Certificate: 12A

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