'Instant Family' - Movie Review

Instant Family will send you running to hug your children (or your parents), but in a good way. It's like when everyone cries over Jack dying at the end of Titanic, or Noah and Allie getting back together in The Notebook. It's one of those good movies that only comes along every 10 years or so. So be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster this movie will be sure to send you on.

The basic premise, if you haven't seen it already or seen the numerous commercial advertisements for it, is that a couple decides to foster children and ends up fostering a family of three children at once. Obviously, chaos ensues, but the real heart of the movie comes from the way the group handles being a family. It might be messy, it might be crazy, it might be dangerous at times, but whose family isn't? That's what being family really means.

While the movie is amazingly done, you should be prepared before seeing it, so here are a few tips to help you get through the movie in one piece.

1. Be prepared for the crying.

You'll spend about three fourths of the movie crying. I'll just tell you that flat out. Bring tissues, bring someone to hug, and bring more tissues for that friend, too. The storyline shown in the commercials and advertisements before the movie's release showed viewers the hard topic of adoption/fostering and acceptance that the movie was going to be focusing on, but made it seem much more like a comedy than the sob-fest the last 20 minutes of the movie are going to turn you into.

2. Laugh until it hurts.

Don't get me wrong, the movie is still as humorous as the advertisements made it seem. I mean, Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, hello! Some of those tissues you brought are going to be for laughing way too hard at things that most of the children in the audience are not going to get (and a few jokes that are family friendly, too).

Wahlberg and Byrne are able to do it all! Comedy, drama, and action, and this movie has a little of all of it. But the real stars are the three children who you'll find yourself rooting for, crying over, cherishing, and laughing with as you wish you were with your own family.

3. Bring plenty of snacks.

With a run time of almost two hours, you'll want to bring in that extra-large popcorn tub and some candy snacks, too. We all enjoy eating our feelings and if the first two hints weren't enough of a trigger for feelings-eating, you'll regret having to get up halfway through to refill your small popcorn.

4. Opt for the small drink.

Along the same lines, opt for the small drink because you won't want to have to leave part of the way through the movie to use the restroom. You'll miss the laughing, crying, and feelings-eating with the rest of the audience. And no one wants to miss that one part that everyone will be talking about after or be the one who missed the funny joke your family laughs about all the way home.

5. Get the best seats.

This one is a given for any movie. If you can, get to the theater early and try to get those perfect seats right in the middle about halfway back. Enjoying the movie head-on in comfortable (sometimes reclining) seats, without having to tilt your head in funny directions, is the best way to view a movie. You won't want to miss a bit and if you're comfortable, you're less likely to be moving or readjusting during a crucial scene.

Instant Family will quickly and easily become your family's favorite new movie. You'll laugh together, cry together, eat all your feelings together, and probably be a whole lot more understanding towards each other. So sit back in those comfy theater seats with your popcorn and enjoy!