FROM THE BACK OF THE BOX:
A man who has made a new life for himself and the daughter left on his doorstep 6 years ago finds his family threatened when the birth mother resurfaces.
FROM THE BACK OF MY BRAIN:
“Instructions Not Included” feels like the wake of “Kramer vs. Kramer” comedy clones that filled video stores in the 1980s. The film hops back and forth between English and Spanish, but the material holds up. Basically, single happening dude doesn’t know what to do with his bastard daughter. Naturally, they spend the next 6 years growing closer together until the evil birth mother returns! How dare she who birthed the co-star show up to reclaim thy progeny!
The crossover appeal for this film is there in spades. It’s goofy funny and the leads are admirable in their performance. The neglectful mother is painted in the light that you might expect, but there’s more to it. This is very much Eugenio Derbez’s movie and I expect this to be the vehicle that starts pushing him deeper into American cinema. He’s already shown up in a few Adam Sandler affairs. That being said, he has the potential to do so much more.
Selling Latino cinema to the American market will slowly become easier over the next decade. That being said, we need more films like this to start opening the floodgate. Linguistics and cultural differences aren’t major handicaps anymore. The material has to be there to support the efforts of an international appeal. That being said, you can still evade the issue and chop stuff out for the Chinese ala Disney. The Blu-Ray comes with a commentary and Digital HD copy. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track really stands up for a light comedy. Still, the 1080p transfer had moments of light digital noise. Nothing major, but it was present throughout the film. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!