Tia Lowry plays a pretty young woman who gets swept away into marrying an older man and unexpectedly gets not only a husband but three stepchildren, each with their own issues. It's a simple, feel-good story about family values with occasional silly tantrums and hillarious quips many of which are provided by her mother Maggie and their new step-grandma. It's like those predictble rom-coms that are you stick with though they're all alike each other. There are however two issues here- the kids' biological mother is prevented from taking them for a year with her to Africa, to spend real quality time with them, though she's legally entitled to it. We're made to root for Stephanie (Lowry) to keep them under her warm wing, and the kids' mother is nothing but a footnote in the story, which isn't really in line with the values the show tries to reflect. The other problem is the character of Maggie, who embodies the stereotype of the angry black woman to the bone, and visibly enjoys it, though it bursts with tacky stereotypes at best, and insulting at worst.
Review of Instant Mom
