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Tea Leoni, Paz Vega and Adam Sandler star in Spanglish.
Spanglish marks director James L. Brooks’ return to the film world after 1997’s As Good As It Gets. In this admirable character-driven piece, he pushes forth Adam Sandler as John Clasky, a celebrity chef with many familial problems and work-related pressures, including the potential of him and his restaurant racking up a four-star review. Clasky, however, is not the main pull of the story. That goes to Paz Vega as Flor, heading from Mexico to California in the usual unconventional manner that marks the travels of many undocumented immigrants.
After taking on a number of odd jobs, seen in a quick montage narrated by her daughter Cristine (Shelbie Bruce) as an essay to Princeton, Flor’s cousin manages to snag her an interview at the Klasky residence. This well to-do family not only includes John, but also the wildly neurotic Deborah (Tea Leoni), their kids Bernice (Sarah Steele) and Georgie (Ian Hyland), and Deborah’s mother (Cloris Leachman).
What has always been refreshing about director Brooks’ motion pictures is their ability to be driven by the characters and not by plot, thanks to Brooks sure-handed screenwriting. But more than that, Brooks chooses actors that will be memorable even after the film is over, and that is shrewdly achieved in Spanglish with Paz Vega.
Vega nearly a Penelope Cruz look-alike, but there’s much more life in her face and eyes in this film. Her character has gone through a series of disappointments and difficulties, not only in her personal life, but also when she encounters the Claskys. She soon decides that she must try to help the family. It happens subtly, such as when she alters the clothes that Leoni’s Deborah gave Steele’s Bernice, which intentionally too small for the slightly overweight teen.
Sandler, as the chef, father, and struggling husband, takes on a second role after Punch-Drunk Love that doesn’t require him to be outright funny, as in the comedies that made him famous, like Happy Gilmore or Big Daddy. His character is really the only one running things while his wife goes through bouts of depression and low self-esteem. As for Leoni, she really taps into that role and explores every corner of Deborah. She is unpleasant many times over, but strange in other spots, such as when she is unable to pronounce Flor’s name properly.
In Deborah, Leoni not only jumps off the cliff of craziness, but she has a chunk of the cliff attached to her that speeds up her dive into the abyss. The kids are terrific, though Georgie is not given that much screen time but his scenes with the grandmother are touching.
Leachman, as the grandmother, is an absolute joy. She understands innately how to build up humor naturally and when to let it go. She’s there for the family when it’s required, but it’s the alcohol that’s her gas. It’s not a major plot point, however. There is no big moment where she suddenly decides it’s time to quit. She’s there when needed, and her appearances are immensely welcome.
Bernice is certainly different from how Hollywood usually presents teenage girls. In films like Mean Girls, they’re presented as stunning and bitchy, and usually, they are in the forms of Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan. Here, Sarah Steele as Bernice presents, via writer/director Brooks, the kind of teenager most girls are. Insecure, unsure about many different things, and worried a lot about their weight. Instead of pulling the usual trick in Hollywood by hiring an attractive female lead as a teenager and telling thousands of people, “Gape at this!”, Brooks takes the honest route.
The interactions in Spanglish are the most treasured possessions of the film. I especially enjoyed the moments where Cristina translates for Flor, especially when John has doled out $650 to Cristina for all the sea glass she found for his restaurant. Sandler and Vega have scenes that easily rival a lot of what he and Drew Barrymore did together in their movies. However, it comes on the heels of an adulterous revelation by Deborah and doesn’t feel all that natural as the rest of the film. Nevertheless, Brooks gives it his level best in a film that is all about our ways of communication and how we try so hard, crazy as it all is sometimes.
Spanglish manages to give every featured player their due scenes and they all work believably. Shelbie Bruce, the daughter of Flor, undoubtedly needs more great roles like this one. As for Paz Vega, I only hope that this role will cause viewers to delve into her Spanish films.
As for James L. Brooks, it was seven years in between As Good As It Gets and Spanglish. I hope he doesn’t wait too long the next time around.
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