Instant Family pretty much does what you expect from the trailer and the genre. The in-your-face browbeating about adoption (especially in the first act) does often sit uncomfortably alongside the broad family-comedy tropes on display, but there are plenty of funny moments which land well. Mark Wahlberg's easy charm and sincerity is tailor-made for this type of role (and his comic timing is very good here), Rose Byrne is unusually genuine here, and the three children - especially Isabela Moner as the older teen - work very well. Also of note are performances from Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro as the duelling adoption counsellors, and the joy that is Julie Hagerty and a powerhouse performance by Margo Martindale as the two adoptive grandmothers. Overall, this is a well-meaning film that offers little that is unexpected (there is even a Christmas morning scene in which the children prefer the cardboard boxes to the toys) but is well-made and entertains.
No comments:
Post a Comment