Change of Plans (2011)  

Another Unexpected Family

Sally Danville (Brooke White) and her husband Jason (Joe Flanigan) both have blossoming careers which leaves them with little time for anything else. So when a close friend of Sally's and her husband are killed in an accident they find themselves not just dealing with the grief but also the discovery that they had been named guardians to their friends 4 multi-cultural adopted children. With a house not set up for children and no parenting skills their life is turned upside down as they take the children in whilst Dorothy (Phylicia Rashad), a social worker, attempts to find them a home but is unlikely going to be able to keep them together.

I have been around the movie block as a reviewer for enough years to accept that the same stories come around every so often. And one of those is the instant family storyline where someone dies and a friend or friends find themselves suddenly with an instant family to deal with. And to be honest the majority of these movies hit the same marks from delivering the chaos of suddenly having children to look after to having to change plans when it comes to careers. "Change of Plans" certainly hits many of the marks which other instant family movies hit from chaos to the bonding as the whole family dynamic coming together.

But what "Change of Plans" also has is this interesting set up which sees 4 children from different cultures being the family and they each have different personas. As such we have an older teenager who misses her home and is interested in serious matters whilst you have her Latino brother who has a natural talent when it comes to kicking a ball. And that is for me where the movie's USP resides, seeing how these children from different cultures not only deal with the loss of their parents but also how they fit in to life in America.

Of course the question is; is "Change of Plans" any good? And whilst there is an undeniable element of familiarity to it, it also does have a charm. That comes from inoffensive and gentle way the characters evolve and bond, it is simple but also simply beautiful.

What this all boils down is at its heart "Change of Plans" tells a familiar storyline which comes along surprisingly often. But it has its own unique selling points with a group of multi-cultural children dealing with a change of life in America and it certainly makes it entertaining.

Tags: Instant Families