REVIEW: 'Instant Family'

Rose Byrne + Mark Wahlberg + adopted children = a surprising amount of laughs - by Gavin Scott

Parenting is hard, and married couple Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne), who flip houses for a living and haven’t got around to thinking about kids, dive into the deep end when they decide to foster a teenager who has been in care.

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Richard Reid's awkward date on First Dates

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Richard Reid's awkward date on First Dates

0:59

Footage of Zayn Malik LOSING IT at Jake Paul

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Footage of Zayn Malik LOSING IT at Jake Paul

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MAFS' Michael Goonan blows up at viewer after argument over DMs

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MAFS' Michael Goonan blows up at viewer after argument over DMs

0:32

Laura Prepon and Ben Foster welcome second child

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Laura Prepon and Ben Foster welcome second child

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MAFS Hayley Vernon reveals why Michael Goonan denied their kiss

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MAFS Hayley Vernon reveals why Michael Goonan denied their kiss

0:22

Rebecca Breeds emotional final scene on Home and Away

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Rebecca Breeds emotional final scene on Home and Away

1:36

Anthony Hopkins plays a psychopath in 'Silence of the Lambs'

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Anthony Hopkins plays a psychopath in 'Silence of the Lambs'

1:48

Teddi Mellencamp and Edwin Arroyave welcome their third child

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Teddi Mellencamp and Edwin Arroyave welcome their third child

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Macaulay Culkin joins Season 10 of ‘American Horror Story’

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Macaulay Culkin joins Season 10 of ‘American Horror Story’

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When they discover she has two younger siblings, they go all in, becoming a family of five overnight. The results are equal parts hilarious (often inappropriately so) and
tear-inducing, with Instant Family exploring a family construct we don’t see depicted onscreen very often.

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Getting the most laughs is Byrne, who once again proves her comic capabilities in this movie which reinvents the family comedy for an era where the fact that families come in all shapes and sizes is something to be celebrated and joked about, just as we have with more traditional family units for decades. (Out now) 4 stars

Gavin Scott

A pop culture enthusiast from a young age, Gavin is equally passionate about great pop music (’80s synthpop, ’10s dream pop), gripping TV series (Friday Night Lights, The Handmaid’s Tale) and trips to the cinema (I love a blockbuster as much as anyone, but I’m done with the superhero thing).

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