Spanglish Movie Review: By Adam Mast, ZBoneMan.com

Spanglish is the latest effort from the outstanding James L. Brooks who, in addition to fashioning TV landmarks such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Taxi, has also delivered some terrifically insightful character studies like Broadcast News and As Good As It Gets. This time, he attempts what many felt impossible; to get a restrained, dramatic turn from funny man Adam Sandler.

Spanglish features Spanish beauty Paz Vega as Flor, a single mom who decides to leave her native Mexico in hopes that she might find a higher paying job in Los Angeles. She immediately connects with job interviewer Deborah Clasky (a manic Tea Leoni), a bi-polar (or manic depressive–I’m not quite sure which) woman who has just recently found herself without a career. Luckily, she has loving husband John (a delightfully subdued Adam Sandler), a professional chef who, much of the time, has a hard time dealing with Deborah’s erratic (and self destructive) behavior. So, the Spanish speaking Flor takes a housekeeping job with the Claskys and soon learns the true meaning of communication.

Vega is simply alive as Flor. Not only is she absolutely gorgeous (putting the much buzzed about Penelope Cruz to shame) but she also exudes a kind of warmth and tenacity that is absolutely essential for this piece to work. Adam Sandler is outstanding as well, and while I suppose it’s unfair to call this his first exercise in restraint and drama (P.T. Anderson pulled off a similar feat in Punch Drunk Love), this is a much different persona than the one he displayed in that odd romantic comedy. In Spanglish, he clearly has the less showy role and he makes the most of it in a turn that is gentle, sweet natured, and surprisingly emotional. Sandler and Vega build a nice rapport and their connection in the final act of the film is both touching and realistic. Tea Leoni certainly has the toughest job as the abrasive Deborah. To call this part complex would be a gross understatement. Deborah is one of those people who constantly does and says things without thinking them through first, and it always gets her into trouble. Leoni certainly overplays some of her scenes (on occasion, embarrassingly so), but I give her credit for really letting herself go and just going for it outright. The supporting cast is strong, most notably young Sarah Steele as Bernice, John and Deborah’s wise beyond her years daughter. In particular, I loved her final moment with Sandler. I was really moved by it.

James L. Brooks has a great ear for dialogue. That’s always been his strong suit, and it’s certainly the strongest attribute of this piece. Spanglish is chatty but it’s supposed to be. This is, after all, a film about communication and language barriers of various levels. And while Spanglish is a very funny film, it’s also quite brutal at times. Take for instance a scene in which Deborah uses a rather unorthodox method in convincing her loving, but highly self conscious daughter, to lose weight. It’s a tough moment (and there are others that are equally tough) in an otherwise light movie.

As much as I liked the rhythm of the dialogue, and as real as much of it felt, Spanglish falters a bit in other areas. There’s quite a bit going on in this movie. There’s the relationship between John and Deborah. There’s the relationship between Flor and her daughter Cristina. There’s the relationship between John, Deborah and their daughter. There’s the relationship between Deborah and her mother (played by Cloris Leachman who stepped in after Anne Bancroft had to bow out). And there’s the inevitable relationship between John and Flor, and that’s barely scratching the surface. Usually, Brooks excels with ensembles. He’s very good at juggling various story lines together and making them connect to create a cohesive film. Here though, the movie tends to lose focus - particularly in the final act. I liked the rather ambiguous way the John/Deborah storyline is resolved (even if I did have a hard time figuring out why the hell these two got together in the first place), but I somehow felt a little unfulfilled by the ending of the picture. And I was a bit irked that the entire film was from Cristina’s point of view (made apparent by intrusive voice over) when the story as a whole doesn’t really seem to have as big an impact on her as it does on the other characters in the movie. It didn’t quite work for me

I enjoyed Spanglish, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect a little bit more from the wonderfully observant Brooks. This film is alive thanks to rich performances, but as a glimpse into the world of tough communication, it can’t touch a picture like Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. Still, Spanglish has it’s moments, and it introduces us to a new star in the form of the lovely Paz Vega.

Grade: B

Adam Mast, ZBoneMan.com