INSTANT FAMILY
A warm adoption comedy whose language demands an adults-only verdict.
Should You Watch It?
Instant Family is a consistently engaging, funny, and touching comedy with a serious purpose. It shines a remarkable light on foster children, particularly older ones, while calling viewers to open their hearts and consider adoption.
The film also offers a strong Christian, moral worldview, including positive references to prayer and Christian families. But its good intentions are undercut by gratuitous foul language and a positive depiction of a homosexual male couple adopting a child.
Adults who can weigh those concerns may find a heartfelt, redemptive story here. Families with children or young teens should choose something else. The practical answer: WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESPete and Ellie are a married couple who have postponed having children while working together to flip homes. They eventually decide to adopt through the foster-care system.
After joining a support group and learning about the challenges of foster adoption, they choose Lizzy, a feisty 15-year-old girl. Then they discover that Lizzy has a younger brother and sister she cannot abandon. Suddenly, Pete and Ellie must learn how to care for three children at once.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this film is a standout in entertainment quality. Its emotional honesty comes from writer-director Sean Anders’ real-life experience adopting foster children, giving the comedy an unusually grounded heart.
Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne bring charm and humor to the adoptive parents, while Isabela Moner shows a vibrantly real emotional range as Lizzy. The supporting cast, including Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro, is also strong. The result is both hearty comedy and heartbreaking drama, with a persuasive emotional call to action.
The Worldview
Instant Family presents a strong Christian, moral worldview through a married couple who chooses to adopt children from the foster system. It depicts a positive Christian family, two serious prayer scenes, one good-naturedly comical prayer scene, another positive Christian couple in the support group, and a social worker who is Christian.
The film exalts marriage, family, sacrificial love, gratitude, and care for vulnerable children. It also gives foster children—especially older ones—a meaningful presence and encourages viewers to consider opening their homes. The story’s redemptive movement from conflict toward love supports a moral vision of family responsibility.
That worldview is undercut by gratuitous foul language and by a positive depiction, in a couple of scenes, of a homosexual male couple adopting a child. The film’s moral seriousness is therefore mixed with elements that may trouble Christian viewers.
The film’s central longing is for children to find loving homes and for families to be formed through sacrificial care. Scripture says, “God settles the solitary in a home” (Psalm 68:6).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong Christian, moral worldview about a married Christian couple who decides to adopt a teenager in the foster system who has two younger siblings, another Christian couple is depicted, and a social worker is also a Christin, undercut by an antinomian, gratuitous use of foul language and a homosexual male couple trying to adopt is depicted in a positive light in two scenes
Foul Language
About 42 obscenities (including one “f” word and at least 12 “s” words), at least two strong JC profanities, and three light profanities, plus an obscene gesture
Violence
One scene where a parent punches a creepy adult male in his 20s trying to woo their underage daughter, then they kick him in the crotch a couple times
Sex
No sexual content other than the scene with the creepy man in his 20s mentioned above
Nudity
No nudity
Alcohol Use
Brief alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Teenage foster girl is extremely rude to her adoptive parents early on in numerous scenes of disrespectful comments and one middle finger, but she changes in the end and turns out to be loving and grateful.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film highlights the needs of children in foster care. How can your family show compassion to children who need stability and love?
James 1:27 · Psalm 68:5–6Pete and Ellie must learn that love requires patience and sacrifice. Where is God asking you to practice patient, active love?
1 Corinthians 13:4–7 · Philippians 2:3–4The story includes prayer in family life. What does it mean to bring both joyful and difficult family situations to God?
Philippians 4:6–7 · 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18The children’s behavior changes as trust grows. How can consistent kindness help repair a damaged relationship?
Romans 12:20–21 · Ephesians 4:32The Final Word
Instant Family is funny, moving, and unusually earnest about the needs of foster children. Its strong moral heart cannot erase the gratuitous language and other worldview concerns. For discerning adults, the answer is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For family movie night, choose from our family-friendly picks.
