I went to the movies the other weekend with my dad’s girlfriend to see “Bohemian Rhapsody” for a second time (it’s that good) but we were a little late and had to settle for our second choice: “Instant Family”.  

As it turns out, it would have been my first choice all along.

“Instant Family” follows Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne), a married couple who flip houses for a living. One day, Ellie’s sister Kim (Allyn Rachel) and her husband Russ (Tom Segura) stop by to see Pete and Ellie in the five-bedroom house they’re trying to flip yet considering keeping for themselves.

Russ snidely asks them why a childless couple needs so much space. “You guys are obviously never having kids,” Russ adds.

The interaction strikes a nerve with Ellie, suggesting that Pete and Ellie might be too old to have kids of their own. Ellie has another idea and contemplates becoming foster parents and possibly adopting a child.

At first, Pete is not interested, but something changes when he looks at Ellie’s computer and sees the faces of the sad, needy children Ellie is considering.

Pete and Ellie undergo an eight-week foster care certification course and attend a child selection festival, finding no one that they believe will be the “perfect fit.” At the end of the festival, however, they do find someone: 15-year old Lizzy (Isabela Moner).

The foster agency then informs Pete and Ellie that Lizzy comes with two siblings, Juan (Gustavo Quiroz) and Lita (Julianna Gamiz). Pete and Ellie are uncertain, but eventually bite the bullet, taking in all three children.

“Instant Family” is full of humor, while incorporating some tear-jerking scenes that makes a movie worth watching. Wahlberg is Pete was phenomenal, adding a comic relief. Byrne is great as well, complimenting Wahlberg as his serious and uptight wife. 

Moner plays an excellent rebellious teenager with her back talk, and hiding inappropriate messages on her phone.

My father’s girlfriend and I were discussing the movie on the ride home, applauding how well done it was. It turns out the second choice was the best one that night.