I arrived at the theater, settled into my seat with a box of Sno-Caps (a movie is not a movie without them), looked around, and there were five people in attendance. Why so few? Well maybe it was the time, 7:20; maybe it was the venue, AMC Lake in the Hills; maybe it was the weather, cold and miserable; maybe it was the day, a Thursday, or maybe it was the genre, Comedy/ Drama. Or maybe it was the subject matter, a realistic look at the Foster Care system.
While the film had some light and humorous moments, it was most assuredly not a comedy, not by any stretch. If you want comedy watch National Lampoonâs Christmas Vacation. We do every year (it seems) and we never fail to get our share of belly laughs.
This is the story of a childless couple, who almost on a lark decide to investigate bringing a foster child into their life. Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne star as Pete and Ellie, who with the best of intentions launch themselves into a new life, and find they are in way over their head almost from the start. The youngster they are interested in, after attending a âfairâ with all the children on display, has two younger siblings, and they come as a âpackage deal.â
Instant Family
Entertainment Rating: ★★★
Rating: PG-13: hogwash, this is R rated all the way, due to language and sexual material.
Possible Oscar Nominations: None
The movie took us through the processes involved in becoming a foster parent. At first I thought it was a lark of some sort, it canât really be like this. It didnât take long to realize that this is the way it is, and my heart went out to all, parents and children alike. God bless them, especially the people who work for the system, trying their best to make each new family work. Octavia Spencer and Tig Notaro star as the Foster Care employees assigned to Pete and Ellie. They do more than a credible job displaying the love, patience, and care needed by all foster parents, not once losing their âcoolâ while all about them the cadre of parents and children assigned to them are losing theirs. There are several scenes of foster parent support groups meeting and discussing their challenges. Eye opening.
Much of the story, of course, revolves around the home life of the new family of five, one of them a rebellious teen girl. Her younger sibling, a five year old, refuses to eat anything but potato chips, and there are some interesting moments, funny and sad working through that. Watching Pete and Ellie fight not only to gain control, but to endear themselves to these three youngsters will draw you into this story, as it did me. There are countless road blocks. I confess at one point early on I wondered why I was even watching this and considered leaving early. I am so glad I didnât.
I realize itâs possible some of you reading this have been involved as foster parents, maybe even children. Would love to hear from you.
P.S. Re: the Sno Caps, the theaters donât carry them anymore, but Walgreenâs does. Far cheaper than popcorn, especially if you buy four boxes at a time, you can save almost 50%. Milk Duds of course still pull the fillings out of your teeth; not worth the risk.
