Spanglish (2004)
Grade:A
Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly said this was the worst film of the year for 2004. In terms of other reviews, Richard Roeper had this at #9 on his Best Of list, Roger Ebert gave it three stars out of four.
So, mixed reviews to say the least. This is the latest film from James L. Brooks of As Good As It Gets fame, as well as The Simpsons and Terms of Endearment. He is no doubt a gifted filmmaker and I believe that Spanglish proves this just as much as any other film.
Brooks wrote and directed Spanglish and he proves himself as a talented writer more than anything else here. The script is nearly flawless in my opinion. This is a really great example of good setup and payoff. Not only do we see successful payoff of what we think the setup is, but he manages to work in an unexpected second payoff for almost every setup.
So, from a film student’s point of view, this was a joy to watch. It’s, frankly, quite annoying when you can tell everything that’s going to happen, simply because you know how films work. There’s not a lot that Brooks does here to subvert the standard three-act structure, but there are unexpected plot developments here that keep things interesting and original.
Spanglish tells the story of Flor, played nearly flawlessly by Paz Vega, a Mexican immigrant who takes the job as maid/assistant for world-renowned chef John Claskey (Adam Sandler, in another one of his “serious” roles) and his nearly psychotic wife Deborah (a perfect Tea Leoni). Also living with the family are their daughter and Deborah’s mother (Cloris Leachman), a faded jazz singer.
Brooks is a master of dialog here. There’s a wonderfully choreographed scene between Sandler and Vega where they’re arguing, but Vega needs to translate through her daughter. The interactions between characters are perfectly scripted where the dialog is believable yet it all serves a purpose.
The script can be brilliant, but you need the acting to back it up, and Brooks has assembled a fantastic cast that deliver the goods. Sandler gives a fine performance as a man trying to deal with his professional life and his deteriorating personal life. Leoni hits all the right notes with her character and probably has the hardest job here: she has to be believably neurotic, and she manages to pull it off.
The film centers on the character of Flor, and Paz Vega gives a perfect performance here. Her character goes through a wide variety of emotions and because the performance is largely in Spanish without subtitles, Vega has to convey all of this essentially without dialog. The supporting performances shine as well, with the younger actors hitting the right notes with their characters.
This is quite simply one of the best movies I’ve seen in quite a long time.
Bottom Line:
Spanglish is a great film, mostly from the near-perfect script from director James L. Brooks and the honest performances from the entire cast.
© 2004-2009 Ben Waldorf. Posted June 29, 2005. IMDB