Film

Instructions Not Included

Name: Instructions Not Included
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 2013
Cast: Eugenio Derbez, Loreto Peralta, Jessica Lindsey, Daniel Raymont, Hugo Stiglitz

Family drama

A Mexican playboy's life upends when a baby is left on his doorstep, forcing him across the border into fatherhood. Warm, funny, and surprisingly moving, it blends slapstick comedy with genuine tenderness. Perfect for anyone who loves stories about unlikely parents discovering they're capable of love.

TMDb rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like comedy that arrives through real heartbreak, where a sharp joke can land right next to a lump in your throat and the sentiment is earned rather than sugared.

Skip it if you want a brisk, tightly plotted romp; this one is two hours long and takes its time wandering through a messy, emotional road of a story with an uneven rhythm.

What it asks of you: Give it just over two hours and a willingness to be laughing one minute and misty-eyed the next, since its mood swings are part of the shape rather than a flaw.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Coco2017

Pixar's love letter to Mexico and family bonds, animated with stunning colour and heart. Like Instructions Not Included, it finds the profound in the personal and celebrates sacrifice without sentimentality.

But It's animated, which some associate only with kids' entertainment. Also, the emotional climax might hit harder than you expect.

About a Boy2002

A cynical man discovers fatherhood through a single mother and her son. Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult share the same awkward-man-learns-to-love dynamic, with sharp wit and real stakes beneath the comedy.

But It's a 2000s rom-com sensibility, which can feel a bit dated. The tone sometimes lurches between whimsy and something darker than it commits to.

Raising Arizona1987

The Coen Brothers' screwball masterpiece about a couple who steal a baby. Gloriously weird energy, but the beating heart is exactly the same as Instructions: a disaster of circumstance becoming a reason to be human.

But The humour is deadpan and anarchic. If you prefer your comedies straightforward, this will feel like it's laughing at puzzles only it understands.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Instructions Not Included

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

C.R.A.Z.Y.2005

Both films centre on a parent discovering their child is not the person they expected, and learning that love means accepting them anyway. The engine is the same: discomfort becomes growth.

A French-Canadian father navigates raising his gay son in 1970s–80s Quebec. Like Instructions Not Included, it's a comedy-drama about a parent who doesn't understand their child at first but is gradually transformed by love. Heartbreaking and hilarious in equal measure.

But It's in French with subtitles, and it's long (139 minutes). The subject matter—homophobia, religious rigidity—creates genuine tension, not just quirky setbacks.

The Pursuit of Happyness2006

Will Smith and his real son play father and child navigating homelessness and hope. It has Instructions Not Included's ability to make you laugh, then remind you what's actually at stake in parenting and survival.

But It doesn't shy from the grim reality of poverty. The earnestness can feel heavy-handed if you're watching for escapism.

Big1988

Tom Hanks as a kid in a man's body learns what growing up really costs. Like Valentín, the protagonist starts selfish and is gradually transformed by responsibility into someone capable of genuine care.

But The 80s production design is very 80s. The climax hinges on a choice that modern audiences sometimes find muddled.

Juno2007

Pregnant teenager decides to give her baby to a adoptive couple. Balances sharp comedy with the genuine terror and love of watching someone become a parent—or not. Finds humour in real consequences.

But The indie-movie quirkiness occasionally overwhelms the emotional weight. Some find the dialogue too clever for its own good.

3 Idiots2009

Rajkumar Hirani's Bollywood epic about friendship, ambition, and what actually matters. Three hours of genuine joy, with scenes of parental love and sacrifice that echo Valentín's journey beautifully.

But It's long, and the structure is a bit twisty. Bollywood melodrama isn't for everyone, and the film indulges in it freely.

Paddington 22017

A foundling bear teaches a gruff man (and a whole neighbourhood) about kindness and belonging. It's fundamentally about found family, with Instructions Not Included's ability to be genuinely funny while making you believe in love.

But It's a family film centred on a CGI bear. If you need grit or sophistication, this wholesome earnestness will feel saccharine.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople2016

A cranky old man and a foster kid flee into the New Zealand bush together. Director Taika Waititi balances comedy and real affection, and the relationship between two unlikely family members deepens with every frame.

But The pacing is rambling. Some viewers want plot momentum; this film would rather sit by a fire and tell you why these two people matter to each other.

Umberto D.1952

Both are stories about an outsider—someone society has already written off—discovering that caring for another being transforms them. In Instructions Not Included it's a baby; in Umberto D., it's a dog. The emotional truth is identical.

An elderly pensioner and his dog navigate poverty and dignity in post-war Rome. It's neorealist cinema—quiet, observant, devastating. The relationship between man and animal echoes Valentín's discovery that you can be responsible for another life's happiness.

But It's a 1952 Italian black-and-white film with a slow burn. If you want plot, spectacle, or clear narrative arcs, this will feel like watching someone's daily life, because it is.

Sing Street2016

Both films use music and colour to express feelings that words alone can't. Both are about someone unlikely discovering they're capable of nurturing another person's joy—whether that's a child or a dream.

A Dublin teenager forms a garage band in the 1980s to impress a girl. It's a musical romance, yes, but it's also about a father remembering his dreams while his son chases new ones. Music, colour, and the way generations understand each other differently.

But It's a musical, so there's singing, dancing, and earnest boy-band energy. If you're allergic to whimsy or pop-rock nostalgia, you'll feel the artifice.