Instant Family
Director: Sean Anders
Cast: Rose Byrne, Mark Wahlberg, Isabela Merced, Gustavo Escabar, Julianna Gamiz, Octavia Spencer, Tig Notaro, Margo Martindale, Michael O’Keefe, Julie Hagerty, Carson Holmes, Nicholas Logan, Joselin Reyes
When Pete and Ellie decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. They hope to take in one small child, but when they meet three siblings, including Lizzy, a rebellious and angry teenager who has had to raise her younger siblings alone, they find themselves speeding from zero to three kids overnight. Now, Pete and Ellie must try to learn the ropes of instant parenthood in the hope of becoming a family.
There is a story in the Bible about a wise and noble man named King Solomon who faced an impossible decision. Two women had come before the good King, both claiming to be the mother of the same child. Compelled by his infinite wisdom, King Solomon ordered that his servant take his sword and divide the child in half, giving one half of the baby to each woman. One woman cried out for the king to spare the child’s life, while the other, blinded by her desire for the living child, rather than the one she had lost, agreed to the king’s proposal to have the child killed. When Solomon heard the first woman’s prayer for mercy, he spared the child’s life and restored the child to his true mother, for he recognized that as a mother, she would rather protect the child by relinquishing him to the other woman, than watch him suffer for her sake.
Motherlove is a powerful theme in this film, and nowhere is motherlove illustrated more perfectly, than in the characters of Lizzie, Ellie and Carla, and the way each of these women play the role of mother for the three children.
Motherlove is illustrated beautifully in the characters of Ellie and Pete and how they overcome their fears and frustrations with suddenly raising not one, but three children, each with their own set of struggles. When Juan wakes up crying after having a nightmare, Ellie comforts him and stays with him until he falls asleep…and it is in this moment that Juan calls Ellie “Mommy” for the first time. When Juan accidentally shoots himself in the foot with a nail gun, both Ellie and Pete are there to comfort him. When little Lita is crying in the hospital, it is Ellie who is there to comfort the little girl, after her brother gets hurt. When Lita is crying in her room, after learning that she and her siblings are leaving, it is Ellie, once again, who goes to comfort the little girl…and in both moments, Lizzie allows Ellie to be the one to show Lita a mother’s love, rather than Lizzie doing this, herself.
Although Lizzie is devastated that her mother chose her addiction over her children, and she doesn’t feel like there is a place for her in Pete and Ellie’s home, because she’s been the most trouble, Pete, and Ellie show Lizzie that they want her to be a part of their family too. When the new parents learn that a boy is sexting Lizzie and sending her lewd photographs, they confront this young man at Lizzie’s school, and their reaction is very much that of overprotective and loving parents. When Lizzie runs away, they follow her, and Ellie shows Lizzie the statement that she wrote to the judge…telling the judge that the reason why she and Pete want to adopt Lizzie and her siblings is because the children – Lizzie included - were the missing piece that would make their family whole. The couple tell Lizzie that they want to be there for all the special moments in her life because they love her. It is in this moment, that Lizzie truly believes that they want her to be their daughter.
While Lizzie is the oldest of the three children, in a way, she is also a mother-figure to her younger siblings…and this is not a title that Lizzie is willing to relinquish easily. When Pete and Ellie are fostering the children, there is initially a power struggle between Lizzie and her new foster mom, Ellie, when it comes to parenting the younger children, Juan, and Lita. Lizzie’s lack of trust, and her angry and fractured heart, also cause her to be a typical rebellious teenager when her new parents try to discipline her or even just bond with her. A fragile trust is born between them when Lizzie’s accident-prone brother, Juan, is shot in the foot by a nail gun and she sees how the adults rush her brother to the hospital and comfort him when he is scared and in pain. When Ellie tells Lizzie that they should take Lita to the waiting room, so she isn’t frightened by her brother in his injured state, Lizzie, facing the choice between comforting Lita or going to Juan – chooses to trust Ellie to take care of little Lita, while Lizzie goes to comfort her brother. Lizzie also takes the blame for her brother’s injury, warning Pete and Ellie that this is the sort of thing that will cause them to lose the children…and her noble act leaves her foster parents and Karen flabbergasted because it means Lizzie wants to remain with the Wagner’s, rather than be sent back into the system again.
Lizzie’s second moment of trusting Ellie to be the Mom comes when Lita is crying in her bedroom, after being told they are leaving their new family, and rather than going to comfort her sister, herself, Lizzie asks Ellie if she would like to go and comfort Lita. Once again, Lizzie is slowly relinquishing her role as the mother to her siblings and giving that role to Ellie. Lizzie’s motherlove for her siblings is ultimately shown when, after she learns that her mother has changed her mind, Lizzie tells Ellie and her husband, Pete, that she wants them to adopt Juan and Lita so that her siblings would have a safe and happy home and parents who loved them, and Pete and Ellie would have the happy family they were searching for. As for Lizzie, herself, she said she would ask the social workers to place her with another family. Although Lizzie is devastated that her mother chose her addiction over her children, Lizzie is willing to give her siblings their best chance to have a safe and loving family, even if that meant that Lizzie, herself, is no longer with them. This is the mark of a true mother, as well.
Although the children’s biological mother, Carla (Joselin Reyes), petitions the court to have her parental rights restored, and her children reunited with her, in the end, Carla’s choice was one made from her mother-heart. She chooses to have her children remain with the Wagner’s, rather than being returned to her custody. She was granted custody by the courts, and she could have easily made the more selfish choice to bring her children home to her, and have Lizzie resume her role as Juan and Lita’s mother, while their real mother neglected and ignored them. In the end, Carla recognized the truth…that her children would have their best chance if they remained with the Wagner’s. Lizzie was having to grow up far too soon and be a mother to her siblings and Carla didn’t want that life for Lizzie. She recognized that her children were safe and happy and thriving and loved, living with Pete and Ellie, and when she saw the Wagner’s willing to fight to keep the children with them, she chose to finally be a good mother, instead of a selfish mother, and she let the children stay with their new family.
Instant Family is inspired by the heartwarming true story of the director, Sean Anders, adopting foster children into his family. The casting for this film is stellar, particularly for Isabela Merced, who brings Lizzie’s character to life onscreen. The story is both heartfelt and heartbreaking in equal measure, and while they may have started out as an instant family, they truly became a real family in the end…a fact that is illustrated by the family photo that is taken at the courthouse after Ellie and Pete officially adopt the children and they become a real family. I would highly recommend this film.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg All Rights Reserved.
Director: Sean Anders
Cast: Rose Byrne, Mark Wahlberg, Isabela Merced, Gustavo Escabar, Julianna Gamiz, Octavia Spencer, Tig Notaro, Margo Martindale, Michael O’Keefe, Julie Hagerty, Carson Holmes, Nicholas Logan, Joselin Reyes
When Pete and Ellie decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. They hope to take in one small child, but when they meet three siblings, including Lizzy, a rebellious and angry teenager who has had to raise her younger siblings alone, they find themselves speeding from zero to three kids overnight. Now, Pete and Ellie must try to learn the ropes of instant parenthood in the hope of becoming a family.
There is a story in the Bible about a wise and noble man named King Solomon who faced an impossible decision. Two women had come before the good King, both claiming to be the mother of the same child. Compelled by his infinite wisdom, King Solomon ordered that his servant take his sword and divide the child in half, giving one half of the baby to each woman. One woman cried out for the king to spare the child’s life, while the other, blinded by her desire for the living child, rather than the one she had lost, agreed to the king’s proposal to have the child killed. When Solomon heard the first woman’s prayer for mercy, he spared the child’s life and restored the child to his true mother, for he recognized that as a mother, she would rather protect the child by relinquishing him to the other woman, than watch him suffer for her sake.
Motherlove is a powerful theme in this film, and nowhere is motherlove illustrated more perfectly, than in the characters of Lizzie, Ellie and Carla, and the way each of these women play the role of mother for the three children.
Motherlove is illustrated beautifully in the characters of Ellie and Pete and how they overcome their fears and frustrations with suddenly raising not one, but three children, each with their own set of struggles. When Juan wakes up crying after having a nightmare, Ellie comforts him and stays with him until he falls asleep…and it is in this moment that Juan calls Ellie “Mommy” for the first time. When Juan accidentally shoots himself in the foot with a nail gun, both Ellie and Pete are there to comfort him. When little Lita is crying in the hospital, it is Ellie who is there to comfort the little girl, after her brother gets hurt. When Lita is crying in her room, after learning that she and her siblings are leaving, it is Ellie, once again, who goes to comfort the little girl…and in both moments, Lizzie allows Ellie to be the one to show Lita a mother’s love, rather than Lizzie doing this, herself.
Although Lizzie is devastated that her mother chose her addiction over her children, and she doesn’t feel like there is a place for her in Pete and Ellie’s home, because she’s been the most trouble, Pete, and Ellie show Lizzie that they want her to be a part of their family too. When the new parents learn that a boy is sexting Lizzie and sending her lewd photographs, they confront this young man at Lizzie’s school, and their reaction is very much that of overprotective and loving parents. When Lizzie runs away, they follow her, and Ellie shows Lizzie the statement that she wrote to the judge…telling the judge that the reason why she and Pete want to adopt Lizzie and her siblings is because the children – Lizzie included - were the missing piece that would make their family whole. The couple tell Lizzie that they want to be there for all the special moments in her life because they love her. It is in this moment, that Lizzie truly believes that they want her to be their daughter.
While Lizzie is the oldest of the three children, in a way, she is also a mother-figure to her younger siblings…and this is not a title that Lizzie is willing to relinquish easily. When Pete and Ellie are fostering the children, there is initially a power struggle between Lizzie and her new foster mom, Ellie, when it comes to parenting the younger children, Juan, and Lita. Lizzie’s lack of trust, and her angry and fractured heart, also cause her to be a typical rebellious teenager when her new parents try to discipline her or even just bond with her. A fragile trust is born between them when Lizzie’s accident-prone brother, Juan, is shot in the foot by a nail gun and she sees how the adults rush her brother to the hospital and comfort him when he is scared and in pain. When Ellie tells Lizzie that they should take Lita to the waiting room, so she isn’t frightened by her brother in his injured state, Lizzie, facing the choice between comforting Lita or going to Juan – chooses to trust Ellie to take care of little Lita, while Lizzie goes to comfort her brother. Lizzie also takes the blame for her brother’s injury, warning Pete and Ellie that this is the sort of thing that will cause them to lose the children…and her noble act leaves her foster parents and Karen flabbergasted because it means Lizzie wants to remain with the Wagner’s, rather than be sent back into the system again.
Lizzie’s second moment of trusting Ellie to be the Mom comes when Lita is crying in her bedroom, after being told they are leaving their new family, and rather than going to comfort her sister, herself, Lizzie asks Ellie if she would like to go and comfort Lita. Once again, Lizzie is slowly relinquishing her role as the mother to her siblings and giving that role to Ellie. Lizzie’s motherlove for her siblings is ultimately shown when, after she learns that her mother has changed her mind, Lizzie tells Ellie and her husband, Pete, that she wants them to adopt Juan and Lita so that her siblings would have a safe and happy home and parents who loved them, and Pete and Ellie would have the happy family they were searching for. As for Lizzie, herself, she said she would ask the social workers to place her with another family. Although Lizzie is devastated that her mother chose her addiction over her children, Lizzie is willing to give her siblings their best chance to have a safe and loving family, even if that meant that Lizzie, herself, is no longer with them. This is the mark of a true mother, as well.
Although the children’s biological mother, Carla (Joselin Reyes), petitions the court to have her parental rights restored, and her children reunited with her, in the end, Carla’s choice was one made from her mother-heart. She chooses to have her children remain with the Wagner’s, rather than being returned to her custody. She was granted custody by the courts, and she could have easily made the more selfish choice to bring her children home to her, and have Lizzie resume her role as Juan and Lita’s mother, while their real mother neglected and ignored them. In the end, Carla recognized the truth…that her children would have their best chance if they remained with the Wagner’s. Lizzie was having to grow up far too soon and be a mother to her siblings and Carla didn’t want that life for Lizzie. She recognized that her children were safe and happy and thriving and loved, living with Pete and Ellie, and when she saw the Wagner’s willing to fight to keep the children with them, she chose to finally be a good mother, instead of a selfish mother, and she let the children stay with their new family.
Instant Family is inspired by the heartwarming true story of the director, Sean Anders, adopting foster children into his family. The casting for this film is stellar, particularly for Isabela Merced, who brings Lizzie’s character to life onscreen. The story is both heartfelt and heartbreaking in equal measure, and while they may have started out as an instant family, they truly became a real family in the end…a fact that is illustrated by the family photo that is taken at the courthouse after Ellie and Pete officially adopt the children and they become a real family. I would highly recommend this film.
© 2022 Keriane Kellogg All Rights Reserved.