'Instant Family' is definitely predictable and clichéd every step of the way, but that doesn't really matter when it's done this successfully. Its engaging throughout and offers a fun and heartwarming look at adoption and families in general, leading to a very entertaining experience. For better or worse, though, it's certainly a crowd-pleaser, which means that although it's sure to give audiences a good time, it's all surface level and some of the dark, culturally important themes are brushed over in service of keeping things light and friendly. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but, had it scratched below the surface more often, it could have been a far richer, more affecting piece overall. The other thing is that the film certainly works better as a family-drama than a comedy, yet it tries to do both which sometimes isn't too successful. There are several 'funny bits' that generate from the characters and situations which work fine, but it's the forced humour (the improvisational kind of jokes that Anders is used to working with) that don't really fit. Overall though, 'Instant Family' is highly entertaining throughout and offers some heartwarming scenes, despite how generic and surface-level it is. 7/10
Review of Instant Family
