First Look: New Mark Wahlberg Comedy Spreads Positive Messages About Family

The fall and winter movie seasons are often full to the brim with talky awards bait that don’t always make for the best moviegoing experiences.

Occasionally, however, a relatable film with real heart manages to slip through and arrive in theaters.

That movie this year is “Instant Family,” a comedy starring Mark Wahlberg (pictured above left) and Rose Byrne (above right) that hits theaters this Friday.

Wahlberg and Byrne play a successful married couple who decide it’s now or never for them to have kids. The two end up deciding on adoption and find themselves possibly in over their heads when they take in three siblings.

The kids include an angry 15-year-old and a young girl who will turn their night into a nightmare if she doesn’t get potato chips.

“Family” comes from director Sean Anders, a filmmaker who previously teamed with Wahlberg on “Daddy’s Home” and “Daddy’s Home 2,” a pair of hit comedies that also examined the inner workings of non-traditional but loving families.

Anders, who co-wrote this film, reportedly found inspiration for “Instant Family” in his own life and struggles — Anders and his wife adopted three children themselves.

What works best about “Instant Family” is its heart. It’s the rare modern Hollywood production that manages to find humor in things many everyday Americans will recognize. There’s an authenticity here from Anders and the actors that comes through in nearly every frame.

“Family” may be a comedy, but it’s also a movie invested in diving into the struggles of adoptive parents and kids. There are unique things here that really haven’t been included in other movies — the story is injected with real-life experiences only occasionally exaggerated for the cameras.

Through the minutiae of a couple who go through the process of actually picking kids from foster homes to the support group meetings sprinkled throughout the film, “Instant Family” comes from a place of authenticity.

It’s also fairly funny. Anders had success with the “Daddy’s Home” movies because they managed to get some serious laughs while pulling the heart strings with characters audiences can root for and cherish.

“Instant Family” rides that same wave to success. Wahlberg and Byrne nail their frustrated “Fixer Upper”-inspired couple and have some genuinely funny moments from beginning to end.

Finding anything in modern Hollywood that can make us smile, warm the heart and provide us with a genuine artistic voice is a miracle — and “Instant Family” is one of those miracles.

What “Instant Family” struggles with sometimes is switching its tone from deep drama to goofy comedy.

The switch from one to the other can be too quick and jarring. The film could have reined in the comedy a bit and made the film a bit darker—  or pushed the comedy a bit further.

That said, “Instant Family” is genuinely funny as it is — and its message never feels forced.

“Instant Family” is a successful film in many respects. It’s heartwarming and comes from an authentic voice. Finding anything in modern Hollywood that can make us smile, warm the heart and provide us with a genuine artistic voice is a miracle — and “Instant Family” is one of those miracles.

Check out the trailer for “Instant Family” below: