Common Sense Media Review
By Renee Schonfeld
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Mix of comedy and tragedy in Mexican dad-daughter tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Instructions Not Included
What's the Story?
In INSTRUCTIONS NOT INCLUDED (No se Aceptan Devoluciones), Valentin (Eugenio Derbez, a well-loved Mexican TV star who also directs) is a world class womanizer and beach bum living in Acapulco. Everything changes in an instant when Julie (Jessica Lindsey), an old fling, appears on his doorstep with an adorable baby girl. "Maggie" is his baby, Julie explains just before she walks away. Stunned, Valentin is totally unprepared and desperate, so he tracks Julie to Hollywood. But she's gone when he and Maggie get there; instead, in a chance moment of mistaken identity, Valentin is recruited as a movie stuntman. Years pass; the besotted dad, now a well-established movie professional, has created a magical world for his young daughter. Maggie (Loreto Peralta), now 7, is his sidekick, manager, and best friend. But soon all is at risk when Julie reappears and decides that she wants Maggie with her in New York City. A radical change of tone accompanies the profound crises that follow.
Is It Any Good?
This is an unorthodox, fanciful portrayal of the loving bond between father and daughter with moments of inspired animation and slapstick action that are combined with real human consequence. Valentin is both a clown and a tragic hero.
Though Instructions Not Included is too long, was made on a relatively small budget, and has some unabashedly melodramatic scenes, it's clear that Eugenio Derbez made a film that he hopes will bring forth a strong emotional response. For the most part, he succeeds. But families should know that (spoiler alert!) fear, separation, and death all play a part in Valentin's story. Despite the wonderful performances from father and daughter, it may simply be too scary or too sad for some viewers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how facing fear is an important theme in Instructions Not Included. Did watching any of it trigger thoughts of your own fears? How can you best deal with things that you're afraid of?
Some films are thought to "manipulate the audience's feelings." What does this mean? What do you think the filmmakers want viewers to take away from this particular movie?
How does the movie portray sex/sexual relationships? There's a lot of sexual humor; does that affect the impact of the content?
This movie is a combination of many different film types/genres. What are they? What elements did you like best? What will you remember most?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 6, 2013
- On DVD or streaming : January 21, 2014
- Cast : Eugenio Derbez , Jessica Lindsey , Loreto Peralta
- Director : Eugenio Derbez
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Director(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Pantelion
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 115 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sexual content, thematic elements, and language
- Last updated : December 5, 2025
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