Instant Family

**Instant Family** is a 2018 film starring Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Merced, Margo Martindale, Julie Hagerty and Octavia Spencer, directed by Sean Anders, written by Anders and John Morris and produced by Anders, Marc Evans, Stephen Levinson, Morris and Wahlberg.

The film was a financial failure as it generated a loss of $35 million.

## Plot

Husband and wife Pete and Ellie Wagner, derided by relatives who think they will never have children, consider adoption. They enroll in foster care, led by social workers Karen and Sharon. At a fair to meet foster children, Ellie voices her reluctance to foster/adopt a teen, when they are confronted by 15-year-old Lizzie, who impresses them.

Karen and Sharon reveal that Lizzie has two siblings, 10-year-old Juan and 6-year-old Lita, and their mother is a drug addict, in prison; if they want Lizzie, they must take Juan and Lita too. The Wagners' meeting with Lizzie and her siblings does not result in an immediate connection, making them reconsider. At Thanksgiving dinner with Ellie's family, Pete and Ellie say they have decided not to adopt. The family admits no one actually believed it would work out, so Pete and Ellie decide to officially adopt them.

Lizzie, Juan, and Lita move in with the Wagners, whose lives become hectic – Lita will only eat potato chips, Juan is extremely emotional and fragile, and Lizzie resents Ellie's attempts to parent them. The Wagners turn to a foster parent support group. Pete's mother Sandy wins the kids over by taking the family to Six Flags, but Lizzie disappears with friends and returns late, prompting Pete to ground her.

The next day, as Pete and Ellie confront Lizzie trying to leave with friends, Juan accidentally shoots a nail into his foot. Seeing Pete and Ellie rush Juan to the hospital and comfort Lita, Lizzie begins to warm up to them, and Pete invites her to vent her frustrations by demolishing the kitchen of the house he is renovating. Lita calls Pete "Daddy" after he fixes her doll during Lizzie's soccer practice. At night, Ellie walks into Juan and Lita's room, hearing Juan having a nightmare. After Ellie comforts him, Juan says, “Good night, Mommy.” Ellie is overjoyed.

Pete and Ellie meet Carla, the kids’ mother, who is out of prison, wanting to reunite with her children. The Wagners express their feelings to the support group, but the social workers explain the system's main goal is to keep families together, and the children may be returned to their birth mother.

Carla's meetings with her children disrupt the Wagner household; the children become more unruly, leaving Pete and Ellie demotivated and frustrated. They are horrified to discover Lizzie taking naked pictures of herself to send to Jacob at school, who sends her a 'dick pic'. Pete and Ellie seek out the Fernandez family, whose adoptive daughter Brenda had inspired them at their orientation. They learn Brenda is back in rehab, but Mr. and Mrs. Fernandez assure the Wagners that "things that matter are hard".

Taking the children to school the next day, Pete and Ellie confront a student named Charlie, mistakenly thinking he is Jacob, only to apologize for the mix-up when he tells them the truth; when Pete asks Charlie if he knows anyone named Jacob who's been hanging around Lizzie, Charlie points out Jacob is the school's 22-year-old janitor. They beat him up and he is arrested, as are Pete and Ellie, accidentally leaving Juan and Lita in the car unattended. Returning home after posting bail, Pete and Ellie are told by Sandy that they need to reassure Lizzie that they love her.

At the children's court hearing, the judge reads a statement from Lizzie, detailing Pete and Ellie's actions negatively. He refuses to let Ellie read her own statement, and the children are returned to Carla. Juan and Lita do not want to leave the Wagners, but Lizzie is ready. The next day, Karen and Sharon arrive to tell the kids that Carla is not coming for them, having failed to appear that morning. They also reveal that, when they got to see her, it was clear to them that Carla was using drugs again and claimed that Lizzie was the one who filled out all of the paperwork. Lizzie tearfully runs away heartbroken, so Pete and Ellie chase after her. They re-assure her that they love her, and the trio reconcile.

Four months later, the family attends the court hearing that finally finalizes the adoption of Lizzie, Juan, and Lita. The family pose for a picture, joined by the judge, their families, and fellow foster families.