Reviews:
"It’s genial and spirited and -- unsurprisingly, given its genesis -- has at least a basic feel for life as it’s lived, full of stings and surprises." - 01/14/2018 Hollywood Reporter

"Wahlberg is at his most appealing here: cautious and befuddled but never quite hopelessly clueless, a dazed grown-up trying to make sense of why being a kid is so much harder than he remembers it. And Byrne’s Ellie is winsomely funny and relatable..." - 11/14/2018 Variety

"Moner’s performance is surprisingly uncanny, bringing to life a volatile personality without overacting." - 11/16/2018 RogerEbert.com

"Loosely inspired by the experience that Anders and his wife had when they decided to foster and eventually adopt three older kids, Instant Family balances its sitcom tone with some real, unexpected heart." - 11/13/2018 A.V. Club

"Anders hits that sweet spot of hilarious and heartwarming, where the sweetness and tears are well earned." - 11/14/2018 Los Angeles Times

"INSTANT FAMILY's early stretches are its strongest as Anders -- who co-wrote the film with frequent collaborator John Morris -- balances genuine sentiment with a slightly satiric tone, mocking the newbie parents’ self-satisfaction by assaulting them with the cold reality of childrearing." - 11/14/2018 Rolling Stone

3 stars out of 5 -- "[A]n engaging, entertaining comedy-drama with its heart in the right place." - 02/12/2019 Empire

3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he real star of the show is Isabela Moner playing teenage daughter Lizzie....She's a star in the making, flashing between agony, attitude and sweetness with total conviction." - 02/05/2019 Total Film

3 stars out of 5 -- "Writer-director Sean Anders and his wife are parents to three adopted children, and there’s a sense of verisimilitude and attention to detail regarding both the joys and the travails of foster care." - 02/17/2019 The Guardian