Spanglish

Awesome

At best, three out of five; at worst, two and a half out of five. When I first saw this flick, it was shown in a college class known as Intercultural Communication. [But that's another discussion going into another tangent.] Bottom line: SPANGLISH is a case of merit and de-merit, both at the same time. The merit consists of contrast and chemistry. As we watch, SPANGLISH shows a stark contrast between the two clans. The community-minded, socially invested Mexican family versus the mostly passive mainstream US family. Flor (Paz Vega) values her presence in her daughter Cristina's (Shelbie Bruce) life, and Cristina's presence in hers. Meaning, Flor really invests in her child as well as herself. Thus, every moment they spend together counts, especially in a country that tends to make foreigners ashamed of and/or rescind their parent cultures. In contrast, John Clasky (Adam Sandler) and wife Deborah (Tea Leoni)--the latter mostly--barely recongize their children's needs. They hardly even recognize their own. [Or so they pretend not to notice.] This brings up the film's other merit: John and Flor's chemistry--however edited below context. Flor worries about culture shock leading to dissention with her daughter, and Deborah the new employer is paying her no mind. The one silver lining she gets is John listening [closely] to her objections and input--depsite the language barrier and Cristina being their linguistic intermediary. In fact, the first hint is in John knowing to roll the 'R' in Flor's name, and Flor noticing his accuracy. You may say Flor repays John's acknowledgement through noting his daughter Bernice's (Sarah Steele) need for self-esteem boost, via dress adjustment, following Deborah's ignorant fluke. Another commendable element is John's tendency to speak between the words as opposed to with the words. Meaning, John acknowledges Flor's take on things without directly stating agreement or disagreement. While there are merits, there are also de-merits. Those are the ambiguity of the takeaways between the two families and the final script's favoring of the one over the other. We know that John, Bernice, and certainly Deborah are given something to think about and stew over. And they hold on to it. But what about Flor and Cristina? Don't they take anything out of their experince, from their new friends, besides self-validation and congratulation? The cutting and pasting done by writer-director James L. Brooks seems to say not. Another bias-maker is the voiceover narration by a grown-up Cristina. A way of underestimating audience intelligence and steering audience favor, in my opinion. Finally, the ending seems to show bridges crossed once and burned on the return trip as opposed to bridges built and maintained for future crossing to and fro. In lay terms, Flor and grown-up Cristina bid more of a farewell middle finger instead of a gracious "Hope to see you again". The jury is deadlocked on whether it's the merits that speak the loudest or the de-merits. Beyond that, due to only half-hearted impartiality, for a film meant to bridge cultural gaps (i.e., using the one-way approach instead of the two-plus-way approach), I'm declaring SPANGLISH a watchable mistrial.

Sandler’s son and daughter, Casper and Angie were getting ready for the day. 2-year-old Casper and 10-year-old Angie had fun in the sand.

Fire

I love that movie

I don't understand how critics give such bad reviews.. honestly this movie is one of my favorites.. Flor is so inspiring as a single mom who knows what's truly important in life.. Movie has strong morals and so much beauty

This is wayyyy different then the Adam Sandler I'm used to seeing. If your used to seeing his brand of comedy, this will come as a shock to you. Infact, its more of a romantic comedy. Another rarity for Adam Sandler.

Watching this again reinforced my respect for this film. Seldom are moral values portrayed as positive attributes in movies. It is good to see Adam Sandler in a role with a brain, and a heart. And who wouldn't fall in love with Flor (Paz Vega)?

I like the writer/director James Brooks a lot. He writes smart, funny, insightful and optimistic material. Spanglish is a pretty good example. All the characters are nice people, even if they are flawed. Ultimately, this is a movie about women. And one woman particularly that is hired as the house-keeper (Paz Vega). Her nobility and resolute perspective impact everyone in the movie. Adam Sandler is surprisingly effective as the nice-guy trying to make his marriage with a crazy lady (Tea Leoni) work. Cloris Leachman is great as the alchoholic mother-in-law. See if you think this is right: I I think James L Brooks wrote Paz Vega's character as how women often think of themselves (noble, steady, ethical). And Tea Leoni as men often see women (emoltional, irrational, erratic). Even if you don't think that assertion is true. I bet you find the movie to be pleasant, smart and funny. It is aA personal favorite.

I remeber I loved the movie the 1st time I saw it!!! WHY CANT I RENT IT ITUNEESS! c'mooon!!