Well, this film totally got more hype than anyone could have guessed. I really think it is impressive for a comedy by the director of both Daddy’s Home movies to get this much attention during awards season.

Whether or not it deserves all the attention I’m still not sure. On one hand this is a sweet and genuinely touching family drama that handles series issues in relatable ways and manages to shed light on a topic that a lot of people don’t know much about while appearing to have been a largely positive contribution to the conversation.

On the other hand it is still an awkward and poorly directed comedy that fits perfectly with the below-par work Sean Anders and Mark Wahlberg have become associated with.

I think that the touching family drama aspect shines through more clearly in this case, this certainly isn’t as awkward or annoying as I first presumed it to be.

Rose Byrne actually offers a pretty funny performance in places and Margot Martindale absolutely kills her comedic timing but for every good joke or well placed one-liner another lands way too on the noes or just completely flat.

At one point the film bites off slightly more than it can chew and takes a leap into the absurd while attempting to address a very series issue but given the overall subject matter and the message of the film being that adoption is not as easy as many people believe it to be (or as many other films have made it out to be) I have to commended the film for attempting to dive in to the gritty details.

Overall it’s a real mixed bag but I have to give a mild recommendation for this one.