It was born out of tragedy, as every adoption story is, but there were so many laughs, and so much love, so much joy, that I wanted to tell a more complete story of a family that is built from those tumultuous beginnings but comes together as a real loving family. I got really excited about it because I thought, all of the movies I've seen on this topic, they mostly focus on the trauma and the tragedy, and there have been some great movies, but unfortunately, they leave people with these feelings of fear and pity and that kind of thing, and my own experience wasn't like that. And John said, right away, 'Almost every story you've told me about your family and your situation was pretty funny, sometimes darkly funny.' But we thought, yeah, what a great opportunity to tell this story through comedy. And then, when we started talking about whether we should make it a comedy. I just felt that people need to understand this whole system better. And when I would tell people about how it all worked, everybody had the same reaction: nobody knew anything about it. I had never seen it depicted in anything. The reason why is because, when I got involved in adoption, and I went to the orientation, and I went to the classes, and support group and all that stuff, I was unfamiliar with every step of that process. I don't remember exactly when, but it was my writing partner, John Morris, I think he was the one who suggested it first.

When did the idea for Instant Family first enter your mind?

Finally, he shares the story of how he and his writing partner were enlisted to write the first draft for 2014's Dumb and Dumber To. Anders also shared the secret behind keeping a jolly atmosphere on set, as well as the real life anecdotes from the adoption process which found their way into the film (hint: he totally hit his son in the face with a soccer ball).

At a press junket for the film, we sat down with Anders to discuss the film, assembling its large roster of supporting players, and his unique approach to working with child actors. Instant Family isn't just a riotous comedy with a sentimental flavor, but an autobiographical passion project from a seasoned director relaying the story he was born to tell. Related: Watch The Instant Family Trailer

Instant family movie on netflix