Every once in a while, you're just in the mood for something nice and sweet, y'know?
I won't act like Instant Family doesn't have its share of problems. The first act is somewhat rocky, the characters' decisions and reactions aren't always super believable (especially in the support group scenes, where I feel like I'm watching aliens pretend to be human), and the muddy colour grading is a bit of a tonal buzzkill. But I suppose the mood is otherwise endearing and heartwarming enough that these issues mostly melt away by the time the story takes off.
And what a pleasant little story. You can't help but grow to love this group, partially because the cast has so much charisma and chemistry, and partially because the script balances its tones in such a fresh way (for instance, I found many of the jokes genuinely funny, and not in the meek and bittersweet way that you tend to get in this genre). And even if the movie rarely gets as deep or authentic as it would probably prefer, the fact that it cares so much is usually enough to make it resonate.
Plus, it's all in service of an actual cause, so there's an additional layer of sincerity and emotional impact here.
Grade: B+
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