Review of Spanglish (2004) by Jovon T — 25 Mar 2011

Spanglish is one sweet romantic comedy, no surprise, since it comes courtesy of writer-director James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, As Good As It Gets) who doesn't just write comedy, he weaves it like a delicate tapestry. Brooks has long had a keen eye for characters, flaws and all, and despite some of Spanglish's lack of clarity, it's the saving grace that makes it rich, funny and heartfelt.

Adam Sandler plays what is possibly his most challenging role yet: a regular, decent guy. Sandler is John Clasky, a famed L.A. chef. His wife, Deborah (Tea Leoni), is a major high strung individual, a manic careerist just out of a job and eager to direct all of her crazy energy on her family. John loves her dearly and does all he can to keep things peaceful when Deborah makes their daughter (Sarah Steele) feel fat, and ignores their son (Ian Hyland). She also puts John in an awkward situation when they get intimate spontaneously and she climaxes long before he does.

Enter Flor (beautiful Paz Vega), a Mexican housekeeper raising a pre-teen daughter, Christina (Shelbie Bruce), who acts as her translator. Flor is hired to work in the manic Clasky house, which includes Deborah's boozing, jazz-singing mother (Cloris Leachman, hilarious). Vega (Talk To Her) also has a challenging role: she's a honest, decent woman with a firm sense of morals.

It's a set-up for a perfect, typical culture clash, one that is escalated when Deborah begins buying Christina clothes and getting involved with her schooling. It all speaks to Deborah's compendium of manic and conflicting impulses that Leoni struggles to keep from flying off the rails. It makes perfect sense then that John and Flor begin to bond. Vega is a knockout, an eloquent beauty and Sandler is marvelously appealing as a husband and father who's no big daddy. Vega and Sandler get the film's most touching scene when John takes her to his restaurant and cooks for her with all the care and love of a husband.

But John and Flor are ultimately just from two different worlds, and cannot put their own desires before their families. It makes Spanglish a most modest love story, an apt description given John's aversion to his restaurant getting a four star review ('You become an asshole'). He prefers 3 1/4 ('That's good, not crazy, and you get respect'). Sandler earns mad respect for his sweet performance in Spanglish.