Spanglish

Cast: Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni, Paz Vega, Cloris Leachman, Shelbie Bruce
Director: James L. Brooks
Release: 2004
Studio: Columbia

Now here is a great movie! It’s just my opinion, but it is one of the best quirky romance/dramas to come out within the last few years. Although there a few funny scenes, it certainly can’t be qualified as a comedy, despite Adam Sandler’s presence.

Director James L. Brooks has always been known as a character driven film maker and this is no exception. He puts tremendous focus on each of the several leading characters, and the actors don’t disappoint with strong performances all round.

There is no plot as such…it is more a drama laden slice of life involving a wealthy American family living in an upscale Malibu home. The Clasky’s hire a non-english speaking housekeeper named Flor (played by a wonderful Paz Vega), and as a necessary addition have Flor’s daughter Christine (an irresistible Shelbie Bruce) come to live with them as well.

The first main driving story involves the battle for Christine’s affection between her mother (Vega), and an ever-increasingly unhinged Deborah Clasky (a believable Tea Leoni). This is to the detriment of the Clasky’s own children, awkward teenager Bernice (Sarah Steele) and younger brother Georgie (Ian Hyland), who struggle to come to terms with an insensitive mother that seems to prefer the newcomer Christine over them. This creates a complex web of rejection, and a fight between cultural values.

The other story running parallel to this is the disintegrating of the Clasky’s marriage, and the budding affection between Sandler and Vega. I won’t ruin the plot by revealing what happens, suffice to say it is well handled and leads to a satisfying conclusion.

The chemistry between Vega and Sandler is something I found transcends the movie, and the slow build up and resultant tension adds tremendous depth to the film. It contrasts superbly with Leoni’s ever desperate attempts to keep herself from falling apart, and her ever increasing thoughtless treatment of her own family. The duality between these relationships creates an immersing layer which is easy to lose yourself within.

Spanglish features a nice soundtrack and is extremely well produced. Strong casting, a tight and well developed script and quality acting all adds to the mix, and makes this a must see. The concluding scene between mother and daughter (Vega and Bruce) is so sweet it is almost guaranteed to produce a tear.

I was left hoping that Adam Sandler continues in his choice of movie roles away from dumbed-down comedy. Similar to Jim Carrey, there is more to him and his acting talents than that. His ability to play a character you can both sympathise with, yet be captivated by at the same time, is very powerful.

OVERALL – Fantastic, engrossing movie. Great look at relationships and cultural clashes.