Instant Family

Cert: 12A; Now showing

Between its kooky poster image and wry title, this tale of a settled professional couple embarking on the rocky road to adoption could be assumed to be a wacky comedy about adult fish out of water. It doesn’t take long, however, for it to become clear that Instant Family has been misrepresented by the marketing men, and has a little bit more going on than mere playing for laughs. For starters, the meatiness of the central theme — strangers learning to trust one another and form a familial bond — is explored from a variety of angles and situations, all stemming from the personal experiences of writer/director/ producer Sean Anders and his wife. The naff white middleclassness of Ellie (Rose Byrne) and Pete (Mark Wahlberg) is the central joke but one used where needed to keep an air of lightness about an emotionally wrought subject. They finally cave from childlessness, thinking that adopting up-and-running kids will make up for lost time. After thorough training with agency workers (played by Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro), they take in a surly 15-year-old (Isabela Moner) and her younger brother and sister. The learning curve is bumpy to say the least.

Lumps form in the throat and attention is held as Anders treats the issue with the dignity it deserves, even if the odd lashing of mawkishness gets through. Byrne leads the cast with hearty comedic charisma.