Spanglish (film)

Spanglish is a 2004 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by James L. Brooks and starring Adam Sandler, Téa Leoni, Paz Vega, and Cloris Leachman. It was released in the United States on December 17, 2004 by Columbia Pictures. The film grossed $55 million worldwide on an $80 million production budget,[2] and received mixed reviews from critics.

Spanglish
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJames L. Brooks
Produced by
Written byJames L. Brooks
Starring
Narrated byAimee Garcia
Music byHans Zimmer
CinematographyJohn Seale
Edited byRichard Marks
Production
company
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • December 17, 2004 (2004-12-17)
Running time
131 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Spanish
Budget$80 million[2]
Box office$55 million[2]

Plot

Cristina Moreno (Shelbie Bruce) is applying to Princeton University. For her application essay, she tells the story of a year from her childhood, and how it shaped the person she has become today (narrated by Aimee Garcia).

Flor Moreno (Paz Vega) is a poor Mexican single mother who moved to America undocumented years earlier seeking a better life for her and her daughter, Cristina. She takes on two jobs, but soon cannot maintain them, so Flor's cousin helps her find work as a nanny and housekeeper for the Clasky family, consisting of John (Adam Sandler) and Deborah (Téa Leoni), their children Bernice (Sarah Steele) and Georgie (Ian Hyland), and Deborah's mother Evelyn Wright (Cloris Leachman). John is a successful chef and an easygoing man who enjoys cooking and spending time with his children, while Deborah is a former businesswoman turned stay-at-home mother, and Evelyn is quietly alcoholic. Deborah is uptight and her neurotic behavior often upsets the family - Deborah psychologically abuses her daughter, body-shaming Bernice by forcing her to exercise, buying her smaller-sized clothes and putting her down for certain behaviors; she frustrates John by expecting him to be submissive and accepting of her parenting style with Georgie. John is more laid back and supports the mental well-being of his children, but feels he cannot stand up to Deborah.

Soon, Flor is needed to work and live at the Claskys' summer rental home on the beach. Desperate to keep Flor employed with them, Deborah invites Cristina to stay with them. Deborah becomes attached to the beautiful and personable Cristina, who informally translates for Flor, and begins to treat her more like a daughter than she does Bernice. The attention Deborah pays Cristina does not go unnoticed by Flor, who does not approve. Needing to get materials for a project that he is working on, John gives the children a small task, in which they will receive money in exchange for pieces of glass they collect from the beach. Cristina takes the task seriously and ends up receiving $640 for her collection. When Flor learns of this, she is overwhelmed and angry at the large sum of money given to her daughter. Flor and John argue, with Cristina as the interpreter, and Flor wants to leave because of the awkward family dynamic. John coaxes her into staying, much to Cristina's delight, and Flor begins to learn English so she can better communicate with the Claskys.

When John’s restaurant receives a highly laudatory, star-making review, John falls into a temporary depression because of the related stress, while Deborah begins an affair. Deborah enrolls Cristina in a private school with Bernice, upsetting Flor, who wants Cristina to keep in touch with her Mexican roots and working-class values. Flor feels that her employer is overstepping her bounds and voices her objection to John, who tells her he is also frustrated with Deborah because Bernice has no support system from her own mother. Flor tries to encourage Bernice and build her self-confidence, by showing her small acts of kindness, especially after Deborah has been hard on her.

Summer ends and Cristina and Bernice attend their first day of school together. That afternoon, Cristina is allowed to bring her school friends back to the Claskys' house; however, Bernice is not. Flor, who had not given permission for this, is upset at the situation and Deborah tries to cover for Cristina. The now-sober Evelyn realizes that her daughter is having an affair and that her marriage is in trouble. She pleads with Deborah to end the affair, telling her she will never get another man as good as John. Deborah confesses to John that she cheated on him and begs him to stay so that they can work things out; however, a dejected John walks out and bumps into Flor. He gives her a ride to the bus stop, during which she informs him she is quitting, and the pair go to his restaurant, where he cooks for Flor. They kiss and have a genuine and deep conversation, realize they cannot have a relationship. A desperate Deborah continuously tries to contact John and confides in Evelyn, telling her mother that Evelyn’s failings as a parent caused Deborah to become the person that she is. The two have a frank conversation during which they become closer as mother and daughter.

The next day, Flor comes to take her daughter home, which angers Cristina, who got along well with the Claskys. As they are about to leave, John tells Flor he envies whoever will get to be with her in the future. On their way home, Flor tells Cristina that she cannot attend the private school anymore, upsetting Cristina even more. She screams in the street, accusing Flor of ruining her life. Flor loses patience with Cristina after she asks her mother for "space", and explains to her daughter it is time she answers an important question: "Is what you want for yourself to become someone very different than me?" Cristina considers this on their bus ride home, and they make up and embrace.

Cast

Production

Brooks cast Sandler after seeing his more dramatic performance in Punch-Drunk Love.[3]

Vega could not speak English when filming began and a translator was on set during filming so that she could communicate with the director.[3]

Leachman replaced Anne Bancroft, who dropped out of the part after four weeks of shooting because of illness.[3]

Reception

Critical response

Based on 168 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 53% of critics gave Spanglish a positive review, with an average rating of 5.93/10. The critical consensus reads, "Paz Vega shines, and Adam Sandler gives a performance of thoughtfulness and depth, but Spanglish is ultimately undermined by sitcommy plotting and unearned uplift."[4] Its proponents claim it is a moving portrayal of the difficulty of family problems and self-identity (and perhaps to a lesser extent the difficulties and rewards of cross-cultural communication). Advocates of the film found the intense sexual chemistry between Leoni and Sandler particularly compelling. Some critics described the film as "uneven",[5] "awkward" (where John and Flor attempt to bare their souls to one another...[with] lots of words coming out of their mouths, but there doesn’t seem to be a context)",[6] and "The supporting performers deserve better, especially ... Cloris Leachman, who's consigned to a demeaning role...[and] the butt of rather mean-spirited jokes."[7]

Accolades

Hans Zimmer was nominated for Best Original Score at the 62nd Golden Globe Awards and Cloris Leachman was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role at the 11th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

See also

References
  1. "SPANGLISH (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. January 6, 2005. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  2. "Spanglish (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  3. Daly, Steve (November 12, 2004). "What, Him Worry?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  4. "Spanglish (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
  5. Meyer, Carla (December 17, 2004). "Uneven 'Spanglish' has good moments". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  6. "Spanglish". AisleSeat.com. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  7. Vice, Jeff (December 7, 2004). "Film review: Spanglish". Deseret News. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
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