This film is © by Columbia/Tristar, 2004.

Starring: Paz Vega
Tea Leoni
Adam Sandler
Shelbie Bruce.

Directed by: James L. Brooks.

RATING:

I wasn't sure what to expect out of Spanglish, the trailer did not tell much but it seemed interesting enough for me to see it. This film is supposed to be a comedy and it is funny at times but rather lightly. There is a deeper story being told in this film though, revolving the experiences of a young girl named Cristina (Shelbie Bruce.) Cristina is the daughter of a single parent immigrant mother, Flor. The role of Flor is played by Paz Vega, an actress well renowned in her home country of Spain. Flor is a Mexican immigrant who does not speak English but manages to get a job as a housekeeper for a well to do family in Bell Air. The father in this family is John (Adam Sandler) who is a famous chef, his wife Deborah (Tea Leoni) is busy living a mid-life crisis. Deborah is a bit out of touch with reality (as living in Bell Air would do to anyone) and is unaware how her actions are having a negative affect on her family, specially her daughter.

There is no one single performance that caries this picture, the cast does a very nice job as a whole to make it work. I am not a fan of Adam Sandler at all, but his role here was rather pleasant as he was not too busy trying to make an ass out of himself as usual. I do enjoy the work of Tea Leoni and I'm not sure why we see so little of her in Hollywood films. Being a fan of Spanish film I am very familiar with the work of Paz Vega, and felt that her talent was a bit underused as she played a character with a language barrier who could not express herself well in English. Still, her use of her eyes and body language did an adequate job in keeping her character's role moving along. Another short coming of this film was the constant translations, which I guess would only wear on your patience if you understand both languages.

The main premise of this film involves the contrasts of the two cultures as they come together under one roof. This contrast is personified in how different Deborah and Flor are from each other. While they are both women with similar concerns about themselves and their children, they have a completely different attitude in dealing with the issues in their lives and their perspective of the world around them. Keeping in mind that this is one specific example of two specific women and not a universal truth amongst either of their cultures, I still found the contrast rather interesting and thought provoking.

A secondary premise is that the role of master and servant in the real world. As the family starts to become familiar with Flor and her daughter starts to make regular visits to the Bell Air home this role starts to become blurred. As I watched I immediately thought this was a bad idea. It would not be good for Cristina to get used to a lifestyle her mother cannot provide. Sure enough this idea comes full circle when Flor ends her employment with the family and Cristina has to come to realization that it's back to the barrio for her. Cristina reflects on this lesson as an experience that teaches her a lot about herself and most importantly, learns a lot more about her mother.