Released just over five years ago, we’re still confused as to why this wasn’t a bigger hit.
Our TV movie pick for tonight Monday, 23 December) is Instant Family, the sadly underseen 2018 comedy drama starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne.
Directed by Sean Anders and based on his own experiences, the pair play parents Pete and Ellie Wagner whose worlds are turned upside down after they join a foster care network and meet three siblings.
The couple, who never thought they would have children, take in teenager Lizzie and her two siblings 10-year-old Juan and 6-year-old Lita.
The film follows the hectic Wagner house and the bumps and adjustments for both the new parents and the children.
With challenges for the family, including multiple hearings with the children’s biological mother and Lizzie wishing to remain in custody with her ‘real mom’, the tide soon turns when the true meaning of family is learned.
That said, while it earned solid reviews – it currently holds an 81% Rotten Tomatoes score, with the site calling it ‘a flawed yet well-intentioned dramedy’ that is ‘ultimately worth the investment’.
The film grossed a worldwide total of $120.6 million, perhaps struggling against the same-day release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
If you’re curious to check out the feel-good comedy, it is airing tonight on E4 at 7.30pm. It is also available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Here are the other movies on TV tonight:
It’s a Wonderful Life- RTÉ1 – 3.15pm
The Christmas classic is showing on RTÉ this Christmas Eve Eve afternoon.
A Christmas Carol – Channel 5 – 5.10pm
Another absolute classic is airing today, getting everyone in the festive mood.
Executive Command – Legend Xtra – 11.05pm
The action thriller follows as a terrorist group hijacks the Vice-President in his plane, and threaten to drop toxic waste on Los Angeles if their demands are not met.
Stuart Little 2 – TG4 – 5.30pm
The 2002 family comedy follows everyone’s favorite mouse on his next adventure in the city.
Pitch Perfect 3 – ITV2 – 9pm
The final movie in the set of musical comedies, the Bella’s last hoorah ends in a criminal plot twist.
Prey – FilmFour – 9pm
The 2022 sci-fi action flick follows a skilled Comanche warrior as she protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator.
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