Spanglish (2004)

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

So much is wrong with this movie and I don't blame the cast because they all did a good job, it's the script that bothers me. Going into this, I expected it to be one of those non-formula Sandler pictures (no fart jokes, frequent outbursts, Rob Schneider, etc.) and what I got instead was a convoluted mess with a terrible ending. I have no issues with the guy doing dramatic roles but this didn't work in the slightest. Plus, the algorithm is messed up. Why is this turd of a film rated a 6.5???!!Adam Sandler plays a chef at a restaurant and his wife is an absolute psychopath. I'm not trying to be harsh but her character is a gold digging mooch of a whore. If I was in his shoes, I would have dumped the bitch around the 80-90 minute mark. This Paz Vega is gorgeous and she gives a decent performance.What I didn't like about this is how overlong it is and how things don't get resolved. I'm not saying make the movie short or resolve everything, but at least put more effort into it than this. You're praying that Sandler finally kicks out his ditsy wife and gets with Vega but that never happens. The biggest issue with Adam Sandler's character in this movie is that he's too much of a coward. There's a scene where he yells, "I QUIT THIS JOB TOO!" and yet does nothing about it. I'm trying not to spoil anything but the ending was so frustrating that I asked myself why I wasted two hours of my life on this junk.Avoid this garbage, this gets a 4 out of 10.

This is a wonderful and inspiring story about a family with flaws and two new members welcomed into that family.And of course it is the story of a Latina girl who has the chance to stand out among many equally qualified candidates for Princeton. Aimee Garcia does quite nicely narrating.Tea Leoni as Deborah is pretty but comes across as shallow, really trying to be nice but constantly messing up. It's a fine performance. One of the best scenes has her enthusiastically welcoming Cristina, the beautiful daughter she didn't know Flor had, because now she can have a perfect daughter too. Her own daughter is not physically attractive and is overweight but not unhealthy, and can never seem to please her. And yes, Bernice notices this.Paz Vega reminds me of Salma Hayek, at least in appearance. But both are quality actresses too. Flor is so pleasant and loving but she can get upset when the situation calls for it. And of course once the time comes, she is determined to learn English.Shelbie Bruce does a wonderful job. Her best scene is one where she must translate for her mother, but she does more than merely say the words. She effectively communicates her mother's emotions as well. It's like a scene from "Freaky Friday". And she has another standout moment where John is only kidding but she really seems upset about what he said.Sarah Steele is also likable as the not so perfect Bernice. There's nothing so wrong with her. She's just an ordinary girl, like most girls.Cloris Leachman does her usual wonderful job, especially later in the movie. She mostly just has funny lines which add a lot, but as Deborah's mother advising her daughter who is falling apart, she really stands out.Adam Sandler is the weak link here. That only means everyone in a major role is good, and he is just the least talented among them. He does a great job playing Adam Sandler, the one who is not a loser and is mostly nice. John is quite a likable character. And yet there's nothing really special. John has lessons to learn here but he's less flawed than his wife. And of course he has a difficult choice when he must decide career or family, and his family means everything.I did think Georgie wasn't used enough. That may be the only real weakness here.The ending leaves us wondering. That's all I will say.Is it a family-friendly film? Not quite, but older children should be fine with it. Even younger children might be able to handle the version I saw, which may have been cleaned up for TV.Regardless, it is a worthy effort.

from the director of as good as its gets James l brooks comes a quirky ~ but crazy family story we meet Flor and her daughter escaping for a new life in America from Mexico her daughter is well able to hold her own with her mother as her mother looks for a job she finds a job as housekeeper jobs with the claskys an all American family misfits of a chef john clasky playing it straight as devoted dad and passion for cooking he is a owner of a restaurant which is crazy busy he had downgraded from new York to 3 stars but likes he life with out constraints we meet his kids his alcoholic mother and his eccentric wife who acting strange like a midlife crises so Flor comes and gets the jobs but feels that he child is being taking by the claskes wife as she is buying her daughter life and feels her daughter is moving away from her Flor has to fight with herself to learn the language and love and passion to love her daughter and not get involved in the family claskys martial issues things come to a head in this dramedy so what does Flor do stay or go 7/10 this film is 2hrs long it doesn't feel like that my 66 review

Spanglish is a very heartfelt, engaging film and I'm pleased to announce that the film is better than I expected. It's a story about how humans connect with themselves and with each other emotionally. This is a smart comedy that has a keen eye for comedic timing. I'm surprised how emotional and heartfelt this film is because I really cared about each character here.James L. Brook's film is about how two cultures can join together as one. In this sharply-written dramedy, a Hispanic woman and her daughter moved to America in search of a better life. Flor gets a job as a maid for the dysfunctional Clasky family.The acting is really good thanks to many wonderful performances. This is one of Adam Sandler's earliest dramatic roles. When he puts his heart and mind to the task, he can be a very good actor as shown here. He's still funny and sweet, but more serious. Tea Leoni is solid as the neurotic wife and her bed scene with Sandler is one of the best scenes in the film. Paz Vega shines as Flor and Cloris Leachman is so good and has the best dialog of the film.Overall, Spanglish is a much better film than I anticipated. The story is a tale of emotions and how people interact with them. It's a sharply-written film and it delivers well on the laughs and tears. It's a little bit on the long side, but I doubt people will notice with such a moving story. I rate this film 9/10.