The right amount of heart is definitely in the screenplay, and the characters are fleshed out well enough that we find ourselves laughing at the funny moments and empathising with the dramatic moments.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 14, 2024

A real surprise when it came out, a film as full of laughs as it is heart.

| Sep 19, 2022

Instant Family is a heartfelt mainstream comedy without the gross-out gags, yet is still funny and surprisingly moving.

| Original Score: 3.5 | Aug 17, 2022

Super funny... [but] because it's so lighthearted, people who actually have a relationship with the foster system might respond of two ways: like it's a little bit romanticized.

| Oct 4, 2021

Has its heart in the right place and that goodwill goes a long way.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 3, 2021

While it's not going to change the way you look at comedies about important topics, Instant Family is a nice movie for the whole family.

| Nov 6, 2020

I appreciate when Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne appear in comedies as it reminds us of how funny both of them can be...

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 5, 2020

Weighed down by its good intentions and zero chemistry between Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne... As we look for good qualities, we're left with that pair of civil servants (Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro) who deserve a spin-off. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 28, 2020

A warm, funny, inspired, and insightful gem.

| Original Score: 3.5/4.0 | Sep 12, 2020

A heat-warming and benevolent delight.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 28, 2020

It would take a hard heart for someone not to have a tear in their eye at the conclusion of this one, however hard it leans on cliché.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 15, 2020

Instant Family never works as well as it could have, but it's an okay enough diversion -- if and only if you want it to be.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 25, 2020

The comic humor and calculated sentimentality never make it across the screen. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 5/10 | Jul 24, 2020

Instant Family may feel like a film you want to resist, but it's heart and authenticity will likely win you over.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 1, 2020

It's embarrassing to watch Tig Notaro, Octavia Spencer, Julie Hagerty, and Joan Cusack struggle to find footing in this abyss.

| Feb 22, 2020

This is an enjoyable family movie that feels honest and authentic even with some slapstick thrown in for good measure.

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jan 10, 2020

First impressions here point to an amiable, if ineffectual middle-of-the-road comedy. Nothing wrong with that.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Oct 10, 2019

It's a movie that seems to care more than I thought it would. It's a good try. And it's a yes from me. Instant Family is a pleasant and unexpectedly fulfilling time at the movies indeed.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 26, 2019

This is a cute family film for the holidays.

| Aug 27, 2019

I enjoyed the heck out of Instant Family.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 23, 2019