Instant Family (2018)
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A couple's lives are transformed when they decide to adopt three siblings with complex needs.
The story
Pete and Ellie Wagner are a couple pressured by their families to have children. They decide to explore adoption and join a foster care course led by social workers Karen and Sharon. At a fair to meet children, they meet 15-year-old Lizzie and her siblings, 11-year-old Juan and 6-year-old Lita. Although the transition is initially difficult and the children's lives are complicated by their mother's incarceration, the Wagners decide to officially adopt the trio. The film follows the family as they navigate the challenges of parenting three children with different emotional needs and the complexities of the foster care system.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Pete and Ellie Wagner, seeking to grow their family, enter the world of foster care and meet three siblings: Lizzie, Juan, and Lita. While the transition is initially rocky—marked by Lita's tantrums, Juan's emotional fragility, and Lizzie's resentment—the family begins to bond. After a series of incidents, including a medical emergency for Juan and a moment of shared vulnerability between Pete and Lizzie, the children begin to trust their new parents. However, complications arise when their biological mother, Carla, is released from prison. The presence of Carla causes the children to become unruly, and the Wagners are told by social workers that the goal is to reunite the children with their birth mother. Tensions peak when Lizzie is caught exchanging photos with a man who turns out to be a local janitor. Following a legal battle where the court initially awards custody to Carla, the truth is revealed that Carla is using drugs and Lizzie manipulated the court documents to keep her siblings with the Wagners. The film concludes with a final court hearing four months later, where the adoption of all three children is officially finalized.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Sean Anders
- Writers
- Sean Anders · writer; John Morris · writer
- Cast and characters
- Mark Wahlberg · Pete; Rose Byrne · Ellie; Isabela Merced · Lizzie; Gustavo Quiroz · Juan; Julianna Gamiz · Lita; Margo Martindale · Sandy; Julie Hagerty · Karen; Octavia Spencer · Sharon
- Genres
- comedy-drama
- Themes
- adoption; parenting; family
- Tone and mood
- heartwarming; comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- based on actual events
- Source material / true-story basis
- based in part on Anders' own experiences
- Reception
- The film was called an 'earnest, heartwarming comedy' by critics, who also praised the performances.
- Reported review scores
- PostTrak · score: 83% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- 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.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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