Review of Spanglish (2004) by Nick A — 16 Jun 2010

For something that's two hours long, it feels cluttered, as if much was left on the cutting room floor that would flesh this out to a more rounded film. As it is, a lot of scenes seem to go nowhere, and the character development is sudden rather than gradual. It's also hard to see what it's going for. Is it a family drama, a comedy, a cultural commentary, a story with a moral? It has elements of all those things, but doesn't really mix and match too well. I'd say it's worth watching, but I can't say I'd ever want to watch it again. I guess in the end, the characters (the adult ones) all have some flaw that causes them to make decisions that don't end up having the best outcomes, and you'll either agree with the way it resolves or you won't.

Cloris Leachman and Sarah Steele are the two best actors to watch here. Cloris plays a stereotype, but awesomely well, and has some great lines and Sarah is just very natural in front of the camera. Someone to watch for in the future.