Debapriya Bhattacharya
Directed by Sean Anders, ‘Instant Family’ provides a realistic depiction of the hard work involved in the adoption process for both the parents and the children. The 2018 comedy drama film follows married couple Pete and Ellie Wagner, who decide to adopt a teenager and her two younger siblings. The decision leads to a series of trials for all parties, as the children warm up to their newfound family, and the pair does their best to earn the trust of the simple-hearted young ones as well as the rebellious teen. Things get more complicated as the children’s birth mother shows up before the adoption is finalized, endangering everything from falling apart. Heavy themes intersperse lighthearted moments, making ‘Instant Family’ a well-grounded watch.
Instant Family is Inspired by the Personal Experiences of Sean Anders
Despite being a work of fiction penned by Sean Anders and John Morris, ‘Instant Family’ draws heavily from the former’s personal experience with adoption. The ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ director and his wife, Beth, were foster parents and presently the adoptive parents of three siblings, whose names they have not revealed in public. Similar to the film’s narrative, the couple went to an adoption fair while going through the process. Like Pete and Ellie Wagner, they were impressed by a smart teenager and set the formalities in motion to make it official. Talking about the young girl in an interview with Roger Ebert, he said, “…she was very impressive and cool and had these younger siblings she had been taking care of.”
However, they were informed soon afterward that the teen decided not to go through with it and wanted to hold out for her biological mother to return. The social worker in touch with Anders then informed them of three children who were looking to be adopted, and they wasted no time in bringing them in. In the same interview, Sean shared that his children were 6, 3, and 18 months old when they first met. Even though the couple could not adopt the initial teenager who approached them at the fair, they never forgot about her. He revealed that the character of 15-year-old Lizzie in the film is based on her.
Instant Family Portrays the Truth About Building Rapport Post-Adoption
‘Instant Family’ does not show the process of adoption and the ordeal that follows through rose-tinted glasses. The Wagners are not able to build up an immediate rapport with Lizzie and her siblings, Juan, 10, and Lita, 6. Instead, it takes patience, perseverance, and the sincerest of efforts to break through the barriers set up in their young minds. Sean stated that while he did not wish to show the process of becoming an adoptive parent as extremely easy, he was unwilling to present it as an impossible challenge as well. “The kids were not these unreachable, troubled kids. I wanted to make a movie that accentuated the other side of it, the joy, the laughter, the love, but not shy away from the trauma or the tragedy of it,” he said.
Juan and Lita are more accepting of the Wagners as their new parents in the film. On the other hand, Lizzie is far less open to the new dynamic and even goes on to fill out paperwork to halt the adoption process. It is only after the biological mother of her and her siblings leaves them for a second time after succumbing to substance abuse that she accepts her foster family, and calls Pete and Ellie “Papa” and “Mom” during the adoption hearing in court. Sean opened up about having a similar moment with his own daughter, who moved in with the couple on her third birthday. While she readily called his wife Beth “Mom,” she initially addressed the director by his name.
The only time she used to hug him at first was when she had nightmares in the middle of the night, and Sean rushed in to be with her. After many days, she “nonchalantly” wished the couple, “Goodnight Mommy, Goodnight Daddy.” While Sean tried to play it cool in front of her, he later revealed that he was ecstatic at that moment. Many parallels can thus be demonstrably drawn between the experiences shared by Sean and the story he captured on camera. Both the real and reel events show heart and grit, and celebrate forming new, meaningful bonds. As such, the fictional narrative of ‘Instant Family’ can be considered to be well grounded in reality.
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