This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

I was surprised about how much I liked this movie. I didn't want to watch it initially, but I'm glad I did. The acting was excellent (even by Adam Sandler) and it presented a variety of conflicting emotions. I'm impressed.

Spoiler Alert!This movie attempts to dupe the audience into vilifying the wife and making the husband the complete victim, and sadly, it appears like it may do so to some.This is a movie that fails to explain the motivations of some of the characters or to give them much depth. I am particularly disappointed with the portrayal taken of the wife, Tea Leoni.This woman is a clearly strained, unhappy, and insecure person whose positive qualities are deliberately ignored in favor of focus upon some questionable behaviors that amount to mistakes many parents happen to make.Granted, she is unfair and unethical for cheating on her husband who clearly makes some effort to include her. He isn't the flawless nice guy that the director may have attempted to create. He is, also, easily seduced by another woman, the housekeeper, although he doesn't physically cheat. Rather than trying to help the wife with her episodes of stress and misery, he just dismisses her with counterproductive humor and an attempt to ignore her concerns. Even if her concerns aren't particularly valid, they should be confronted honestly, and the issues should be resolved for the sake of the family and the relationship that was building.The movie never reveals why the lady cheats, why she is frequently stressed or upset, or why her history with her husband placed them at a disconnect. Also, most films portray couples when they are happy and bonding in a carefree way, but it appears that when the film shows the sadness, anger, and stress that may overcome many women in a marriage, then the director and viewers attempt to vilify her as a flawed woman who "may lose her husband", "whose low self-esteem is good common sense," and who "will never find anyone as good." That's a ridiculous way of trying to address the problems that a character has. Again, people aren't always going to be 100 percent pleasant, so if they have issues with stress and crying episodes, they should probably work to resolve those without having their character attacked.Honestly, I have never seen a movie that tries to portray a woman's emotional issues in such a vilifying light. Usually, a human being with some emotional outbursts becomes a sympathetic character. This movie reveals how easily women are condemned for simply expressing unpleasant emotions and ever appearing like anything other than the perfectly functional wife.Granted, I am not suggesting that Leoni didn't portray a woman who was out of touch with the family. I agree that Leoni's character should have spent more time with her husband and family and tried to better connect with her daughter. However, it's, also, understandable that she was acting according to a particular parenting philosophy.I don't see a narcissistic, self-centered, horrible woman; I see a struggling, strained, often unpleasant, disconnected wife who needs to build some understanding with her husband and children. She might simply just be incompatible with her husband. Sometimes, people are incompatible, and it's no one's fault. I hate the fact that Debra, played by Leoni, was confronted by a mother who suggested that this was the best man that she would ever get and encouraged her to have low self-esteem. Low self-esteem won't help the lady reconnect with her husband and family. Clearly, this woman was struggling and, therefore, hired a housekeeper to help. She may have insulted her own daughter, meddled excessively with the housekeeper's child, and made some disrespectful decisions, but your average person makes just as many social gaffs. She was trying to help her kids in her own way; they had fairly comfortable lives and weren't physically or verbally abused, even if their mother managed to offend them. She was paying the housekeeper 650 a week just to clean, so if she made some mistakes, then we can forgive her for being a bit out of touch.Both women and men can have some weaknesses; that's the beautiful part of being human if you don't want a Stepford wife. The director may have tried to create a villain, but for those of us who aren't easily swept up by a few examples of questionable behavior and mistakes, we are left wanting to understand more about the motivations and deeper traits of the characters.

This touching drama with comedy throughout is a view of relationships that build with time, trust and character. Paz Vega is sincere, wide- eyed and curious, yet fearful of stepping out of what she knows as a Mexican lady who struggles with cultural conflicts with raising her bilingual daughter who herself is anxious to mix both of her cultures. As the maid to Tea Leoni, a neurotic Bel Air housewife who takes many liberties with her role as Vega's employer, especially with Vega's daughter, Shelbie Bruce, Vega becomes more important to everyone in the household. As Leoni becomes increasingly difficult, Vega spends more time with Leoni's daughter who teaches her better English and finds herself more involved in her employer's troubles than she wanted to be.Both comical commentary and sage wisdom are offered by Leoni's delightful mother (the scene stealing Cloris Leachman), a former singing star who loves her wine and sees her daughter for the mess she is, often siding with Sandler. Quite subtle for a change, Sandler is more of a reactor, and often it seems like he's dumbfounded by Leoni's often hammy performance. It seems like she's biting off more meat than she can swallow, and tried too hard to keep up with the Oscar winning Cloris. Young Sarah Steele is a nice find as Leoni and Sandler's chubby daughter who strives for typical awkward teen acceptance without becoming cloying.This isn't quite a masterpiece, but it is quite pleasing in spite of Leoni's forced performance and a few deep plot holes. Surprisingly well written and directed by Joseph Brooks, it is a bit of a sleeper and filled with some unpredictable moments. As Sandler and Vega bond, a different kind of love grows, and it becomes very revealing into all of these character's hearts. I didn't see the need however to tell this through flashbacks as it already seemed to be set in modern times and could have just added a prologue to wrap things up.

As she runs, her black curls flowing in a stream of wild, uncontrolled tangles, she gasps for breath with every jolting step. Behind Flor, the blonde vixen casually jogs, her hair a tamed ponytail, not a strand of hair out of place or a movement of her body out of the ordinary for a jogger. As Flor struggles to maintain the lead in her race with the blonde and unaccepting Deborah Clasky, Deb shouts from behind that Flor's form is all wrong and she will never win a race by not adhering to the proper running techniques Deb learned at her American college. Flor is seen pushing herself with every step, her face strained with exhaustion, gasping for breath to keep herself in the race. As she fights to maintain her Mexican identity as an equal to Deb's Americanism, her sense of struggle is truly felt. When Deb outruns Flor, Flor is left jogging alone, still attempting to keep up. Will Flor be able to maintain her identity and provide a cultural life for her daughter, Christina, in a new and overwhelming country?The film Spanglish was directed by James L. Brooks and produced by Gracie Films Production Company. Released on December 17, 2004, it starred Adam Sandler as John Clasky, Tèa Leoni as Deborah Clasky, Paz Vega as Flor Moreno, and Shelbie Bruce as Christina Moreno. Adam Sandler's association with playing a goofy role adds a light- hearted comedic twist to the dramatic narration portrayed throughout the film. The film is told from Christina's point of view and conveys the struggles her mother feels after moving to a new and alien country. Flor attempts to raise her daughter in Mexico but eventually she realizes she needs to provide a better life for her daughter and immigrates to the United States searching for a city with the largest percentage of Spanish-speaking population so that they may feel welcomed into society. Eventually they settle on living in Los Angeles, California, which consisted of a 48% Spanish population. After living and working for 6 years in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, Flor decides she needs to immerse herself in the broader American culture in order to provide a better life for her daughter, and she begins working as a housekeeper for the Clasky family. Spanglish is about the struggle to become accepted into American society while still maintaining your cultural identity. Flor Moreno begins her new job without speaking a word of English. She often asks her daughter, Christina, to teach her English phrases and translate during family conversations. The entire family tries to communicate the little Spanish they know to display to Flor that as she struggles to learn a new language, they also struggle to learn Spanish. John Clasky is often seen attempting to communicate and understand Flor. All except Deb make the attempt. Flor begins to realize that Christina is embarrassed at having to translate for her mother all the time. Even after learning English there is still somewhat of a language barrier, which is where the term "Spanglish" comes from. She often mixes Spanish phrases along with her English in order to create an understanding of the words for herself. She also realizes that Christina begins to become ashamed of her Mexican culture. The movie becomes based on Flor's attempt to not only assimilate into American culture but also to help her daughter form and maintain a Mexican-American identity. During the movie, it becomes clear that Deb dislikes and disrespects Flor. She insults Flor's neighborhood by stating that she assumed that Flor and her daughter would move in to the Clasky house as her house is obviously better than "El Barrio." Deb also manipulates Christina into lying to Flor and throwing a party at the Clasky residence. After finally confirming through Deb's actions that she does not respect Flor and endeavors to cleanse Christina of her Spanish identity, Flor quits her job. Throughout all of her struggles she strains to help her daughter maintain her Mexican identity. Spoiler alert, by the end of the movie, Christina comes to the understanding that everything that angered her about her mother as a teenager has led her to identify as a Mexican-American in her adult life. The final words heard in the movie are a response to a college interview Christina attended. She states, "Your acceptance, while it would thrill me, will not define me. My identity rests firmly and happily on one fact: I am my mother's daughter." Finally, it is shown that although Christina wanted to become accepted into American society, she ultimately was not willing to risk her identity in order to do so. This movie displays the importance, as well as, the outcome of an immigrant raising their child to maintain a cultural identity. Individuals who identified with both their native cultures and American culture, such as Gloria Anzaldúa in "How to Tame A Wild Tongue" struggled to maintain their cultural identity and were hurt by Americans speaking badly about their culture. I would highly recommend this film, not only to immigrants, but also to the general society in order to understand acculturation in modern times. I loved this movie because as the first generation in my family born in America I realize how important it became my parents raised me to value my cultural identity. I realized how proud I am to identify as an Albanian-American whenever anyone comments on my faint accent and asks where I am from. My family has raised me to identify as an Albanian-American. Maintaining a balance between both has truly given me the feeling I was granted the best of both worlds. As immigration continues throughout the world, movies like Spanglish are significant in displaying the struggles faced in assimilating to new cultures. I would recommend this movie because I believe it is important to understand the hardships immigrants face in integrating in a new country. Spanglish provides both the voice and an understanding of immigrants in American society.