Instant Family | 2018 | PG-13 | – 3.3.5

Why is “Instant Family” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “thematic elements, sexual material, language and some drug references.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes some evident cleavage, sexual innuendo, many scenes of arguing and misunderstandings, a few scenes with some blood after punches or encounters with balls, and 1 F-word. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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Comedy about a couple (Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne) that wants to start a family and try foster care. But while they’re aiming to adopt one small child, they instead take in three siblings, including a rebellious teenager. Also with Isabela Moner, Octavia Spencer, Gustavo Quiroz, Julianna Gamiz and Tig Notaro. Directed by Sean Anders. A few lines of dialogue are spoken in Spanish with no translation or subtitles. [Running Time: 1:59]

Instant Family SEX/NUDITY 3

 – A teen girl flirts with a man (he’s 22 years old), they later text about his wanting to see nude photos of her and he sends her a photo of a part of his anatomy (we do not see anything). Two women argue about getting pregnant and one descries the other’s “perfect uterus” as probably being lined with plush leather. People talk about being unable to conceive and the cost of IVF. A male gay couple talks about being unable to conceive (in a joking manner). A woman describes teenagers as likely to be having sex. A man talks about worrying that foster kids have probably been sexually harassed or involved in criminal activity.
► A teen girl wears a tube top and short skirt that reveal cleavage, bare abdomen and bare legs to the upper thighs (a man and a woman argue with her and make her change). Teen girls wear low-cut tops that reveal cleavage in several scenes. A teen girl wears crop tops that reveal her bare abdomen in a few scenes. We see a boy wearing boxer shorts as he goes into a bathroom. A young girl is shown wearing underwear in a couple of scenes (we see her bare legs). Children barge into a bathroom where a woman is seated on the toilet and we see her bare legs to the thighs.
► A husband and his wife kiss and hug in a few scenes. Two young children watch a husband and his wife kiss and hug and they say “Ewww!”

Instant Family VIOLENCE/GORE 3

 - A man and a woman chase a man on a floor cleaning machine in a school: the first man punches him in the face (we see blood on his nose) and the woman kicks him in the crotch twice and they are all arrested.
► A man runs to catch a football, grabs his chest and collapses on the ground, and the ball hits him in the head (presumably the man died). A boy drops a nail gun and it drives a nail through his foot (we see blood on his shoe) and we see him in the hospital as a doctor prepares a hypodermic needle of anesthetic. A boy is struck in the face by a basketball and we see his very bloody nose. A boy is struck in the face with a baseball and we see his bloody nose.
► A woman knocks her head on a hanging light, a man is struck in the head by a candle holder, a boy knocks his glass off a table and it shatters on the floor, a candle tips over and ignites a stack of paper napkins and a man tries to extinguish it with ketchup. A boy steps on broken glass on the floor and yelps (we do not see blood). A boy eats a very hot marshmallow and spits it out.
► A woman yells at another woman, who slaps her in the face and yells back at her. Two boys fight over toy fishing poles and they wrestle briefly. A young girl yells and throws food at a dinner table, she and her older sister argue and the older girl grabs the younger girl by the arm. A wife shoves her husband when she is jealous that a young girl called him "daddy."
► A young woman talks about her birth mother and father building a meth lab in their garage when she was 8 and that it exploded. We are told that a woman fell a sleep with a crack pipe and set her house on fire. A man and a woman yell at a teen boy and accuse him of sending pornographic pictures to their teen foster daughter; the boy cries. A young girl yells at her doll and calls her names. A young girl yells and argues with a man and a woman in a toy store and insists on wanting a specific doll; a boy hides under a shopping cart and repeats, "Don't hit me" as people look on alarmed. A man and a woman talks about their foster child threatening to slash their throats while they sleep. A woman and a teen girl argue bitterly and she tells two teen girls visiting to leave by way of the window (they climb out and leave). Two women argue about getting pregnant. A man and a woman argue about what would happen if there was disaster and one mentions a "dirty bomb." A woman tells prospective foster care parents that the children will "test your will" and "strain your relationship." A man awkwardly compares adopting a child to adopting a dog and people in the room cringe. A woman sits in the middle of a group of people and she is wearing a sign that reads "displaced child." A man makes insulting remarks about a young girl (to the girl's mother, unbeknownst to him) saying that she looks like she had been "chained to a radiator." A man talks about worrying that foster kids have probably been sexually harassed or involved in criminal activity. A young girl says, "I hate her" about her foster mother. A husband and his wife argue about how they are going to raise their foster children. A husband and his wife talk about giving up their foster kids and say how much they hate them (they don't give them up). A judge questions two adults about their behavior in a few situations involving children. A teen girl cries when she is told that she cannot go back to her birth mother. A man and a woman yell at a teen girl when she does not meet them when she is supposed to and does not communicate with them that she is going to be late.
► A man and a teen girl use sledge hammers and crow bars to demolish the interior of a house (we see rubble and cabinets fall). A boy has a bad dream and cries in his sleep. A teen girl runs away and hides in a neighboring yard.
► A boy vomits into a garbage can (we do not see goo). Men and women practice CPR on dolls and one woman's doll is taken away and she is told that it died. A woman describes the smell of a broken down house using a scatological term. A young girl sprays water from the shower all over the bathroom and a woman. A young girl sprays toothpaste from her electric toothbrush around a hallway. A teen girl talks about wanting to "barf." A teen girl's hair is very matted and a woman brushes it for her.

Instant Family LANGUAGE 5

 - At least 1 F-word, 1 obscene hand gesture, 4 sexual references, 30 scatological terms, 17 anatomical terms, 16 mild obscenities, 1 derogatory term for Hispanic people, name-calling (dump, stupid, old dad, crazy, weird, awkward, fragile, bad guy, noisy pants, old farts, pretend mom, filthy pedophile, emotional, abusive, evil, whore, coward, normal, white savior, fat, gangsters, feral cats in a crack house, crazy woman, criminal, ungrateful, annoying, damaged goods, devil, Nazi [mild obscenity deleted], hostile), exclamations (shut-up, oh my gosh), 2 religious profanities (GD), 29 religious exclamations (e.g. My God, Oh My God, Oh God, God, Sweet Jesus, Jesus Christ, God Awful, Holy [scatological term deleted], I Swear To God, Godsend, Thank Heaven, a woman says that her foster child is "Taking the Lord's name in vain"). | profanity glossary |

Instant Family SUBSTANCE USE

 - A young woman talks about her birth mother and father building a meth lab in their garage when she was 8 and that it exploded, we hear that a woman is "using" again, we hear that a young woman is in rehab, and a woman describes teenagers as likely to be doing drugs. A woman takes a shot of liquor, people are shown with glasses of wine at a dinner table, two men hold bottles of beer at an outdoor party, and a man and a woman lock their liquor bottles in a cabinet.

Instant Family DISCUSSION TOPICS

 - Having children, parenting, foster care, adoption, jealousy, life decisions, consequences of behavior, drug use and abuse, cultural sensitivity.

Instant Family MESSAGE

 - Things that matter are hard and foster care is a challenge for all involved.