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Written & Directed by: James
L. Brooks
Starring: Adam Sandler, Tea
Leoni, Paz Vega, Cloris Leachman, Shelbie Bruce, Sarah Steele, and Ian Hyland
Rated: PG-13 for some sexual
content and brief language.
Theatrical Release: December
17th, 2004
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Most people have no idea who James L. Brooks is,
and therefore what would it matter that he wrote and directed the film
Spanglish. However, if you mention Brooks as the writer / director of
both Terms of Endearment and As Good as it Gets, people’s ears
will definitely perk up. As you might expect, Spanglish is a quirky
tale about the ups and downs of life, lending itself to some heartfelt
enlightenment about relationships by the role of the credits.
Spanglish
follows the experiences of Flor (be sure to roll that “R”) Moreno (Paz Vega)
as seen though the eyes of her daughter, Cristina (Shelbie Bruce). Flor
brings Cristina to America from Mexico seeking a better life and more
opportunity. Finding a job as a housekeeper and nanny for the Clasky family,
Flor is thrust in to the middle of the families’ neuroticism and
dysfunction. John (Adam Sandler), the patriarch of the family is a mild
mannered father, husband, and slightly tense head chef when he is at his
restaurant. Deborah (Tea Leoni) is the psychotic, high strung, disaster of a
wife and mother.
Contributing to the chaos of the Clasky house is
Deborah’s mother, Evelyn Norwich (Cloris Leachman), a former jazz singer
turned alcoholic, and Bernice (Sarah Steele) the overweight daughter
constantly finding herself hurt by her detached, unfeeling mother. Flor is
manipulated to move in and is left alone to find her sanity amidst the
dysfunctional family, yet her presence also brings much needed balance to
the Clasky household.
While the above scenario may seem like a
potential comedy of errors, it is a window into struggles all families and
relationships face. Perhaps the characters will seem exaggerated and
caricature to some, but they are more realistic and sincere than most films
I have seen. Its most glaring flaw is Cristina's narration via Princeton
application essay is contrived, and downright ridiculous. Many other,
simpler narration formats could have been used the same way. Ultimately the
story flows in a somewhat predictable manner, but the performances are where
the film truly shines.
The best performance goes to...the main cast.
Paz Vega is a delight to watch, aside from her beauty she is a wonderful
actress, an obvious veteran (of foreign film). She absolutely captures every
aspect of her character. As an alcoholic mother, Cloris Leachman is fabulous
(supporting actress Oscar?). Leachman give the perfect amount of nuance,
drama, and humor and is responsible for carrying much of the film.
Tea Leoni gives the performance of her career
and is insanely brilliant. Her portrayal of a high strung, neurotic mess is
frightening real, and exhausting to watch…which is the point, really. Adam
Sandler…wow. We have seen him is outrageously comedic roles, the mild
mannered “wouldn’t-hurt-a-fly” guy, and bizarre sociopath…but never as a
loving, caring everyman struggling to hold his family’s life together. This
is the performance of his career, and should break him out of type casting
for sure.
But the unsung gem of Spanglish is
probably Sarah Steele. She is adorable and her performance is raw, honest,
and warm. Without Steele, Spanglish could not hold together. Her
addition makes the film complete.
Spanglish is
a fantastic film and should be remembered in the best Actor, Actress, and
Supporting Actress Oscar nominations in a few months. However, Best
Screenplay, and…dare I conjecture…Best Picture nominations also seem
reasonable, if not requisite.
Yet, if these nominations do take place, people
will most likely say, “Spanglish? I remember seeing something about
that, but never really heard anything.” Most likely, Spanglish will
vanish among the five star winter filled with press bolstered biopics, vapid
sequels, and studio extravaganzas…and what a shame. Spanglish could
very well be the best of them all. |
