Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) are a couple who decide to foster three children in the hope of adopting. Instant Family is the Hollywood sanitised version of this process that will make you laugh and cry in equal measure whilst delivering the message that foster parents can make a huge difference to children’s lives.

I have to say that I went into this film with very low expectations. Wahlberg’s recent Daddy’s Home films have been dire and the trailer for this film was saccharine to say the least. But I was pleasantly surprised. Yes it is heavy handed and takes liberties with reality to pull your heart strings, but it has a lot of laughs whilst it delivers its message.

Wahlberg and Byrne have good chemistry and work well as the main couple. Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro do a good job as the completely unbelievable but very funny odd couple who train foster parents to be. And the child actors acquit themselves well. Gustavo Quirez as the accident prone middle child is particularly funny. Whilst Isabela Moner does a good job of the difficult teenager role. Julianna Gamiz as he youngest child just needs to alternate being an angel and having hissy fits!

If you can live with the liberties and the cliches this is an entertaining message movie.