Confession Time--Spanglish

July 20, 2007

I have a confession to make, one that is no particular secret to my family, but might be mildly surprising to people who have read my books which are, to say the least, chock full of action, suspense and violence. I'm fairly fond of what can be safely dubbed "chick flicks," particularly of the romantic comedy variety. Some of my favorites are "While You Were Sleeping," and "You've Got Mail" and "Michael" and "Sleepless in Seattle."

About a week ago, my next-door neighbors were having a graduation party and it was running on a bit late, complete with DJ and karaoke. It was clear there was no point in even trying to go to sleep until they called it a night. My wife was watching the Tigers but I channel surfed and came up with the film "Spanglish" with Adam Sandler, Tia Leoni, Cloris Leachman and Paz Vega (in the photograph; more about her later). Unfortunately, I missed the beginning and it was running late, so I missed the ending as well.

I was interested enough to queu it up on NetFlix and I watched it straight through this week.

First, this is written and directed by James L. Brooks, probably best known for "Broadcast News." I mention that one specifically because of certain similarities between the two movies.

Okay, plot synopsis: Paz Vega plays a Mexican immigrant (Fleur or perhaps Flor) with a daughter she is raising alone in the LA area and she speaks no English. She decideds she needs a better job, so she ends up working as a maid with Adam Sandler's family [At first I thought she was played by a younger, prettier (if that's possible) Salma Hayak. Vega is apparently a very successful actress in Spain, and man, talk about a face that could launch a thousand ships.] Sandler's a high-level chef (this is one of Sandler's amazingly fantastic roles. I'm not a fan of his comedies, but he's pitch-perfect in this role) and his wife, played by Tia Leoni is a manic-depressive, PC, narcissistic mess. They have two kids, a daughter and a son, and Sandler's mother-in-law (played eloquently by Cloris Leachman) lives with them, is an ex-jazz singer and functional alcoholic.

One of our neighbors, a divorced woman raising her son while living in her mother's house, told my wife, "Oh yes, I've seen it. I hated that movie."

Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. In Roger Ebert's review of "Spanglish" he commented that the Tia Leoni character, despite her numerous neuroses, was still lovable. (Debatable). He also said he doubted anyone was that messed up. (Ha! say I. Roger don't get out much. This character reminded me of three specific women, two of whom are related to me in some fashion. I can safely say, "Roger, I'd be glad to introduce you. It would be an education.") In some ways this movie is like a mirror you hold up to your own life. Who are you in it? Are you Sandler's daughter, who can't seem to please her mother no matter what she does? Are you Sandler, who loves his wife but doesn't know why and feels cut adrift from the things that are most important to him? Are you Flor, who is just trying to stay out of the fray and raise her daughter in the way you want to?

Although there are amusing moments, it's not a particularly funny movie and I wouldn't call it a romantic comedy. In fact, I don't know what the hell it is.

From a writing point of view I wanted to mention the ending. It reminded me of "Broadcast News" in that it doesn't resolve the way you think it's going to. And it's this lack of resolution that prevents it from being a romantic comedy. There's a kind of bitter, fascinating scene toward the end of "Spanglish" where Tia Leoni is having her meltdown (which she caused) and whines at Sandler, "Are you really that much nicer than me?" To which Sandler's character mutters, "Well, you didn't set the bar very high."

The movie builds you up in a certain way, then spins it at the end, and I think people going for a specific romantic comedy ending came away disappointed. In a way I was very disappointed--shouldn't Sandler get the girl, divorce his psycho bitch of a wife, open a restaurant with Flor and live happily ever after with his children? On the other hand, who's the focus of the film? It wasn't Sandler. It was Flor. And although she seemed to be in love with the man Sandler played, in many ways the film was about how she struggled to not become a full-fledged part of American culture, how, as her daughter who narrates the movie says at the beginning, "My mother would be my Mexico."

Anyway, it's a film that I imagine will stay with me for quite some time, for the characters, for what it doesn't do, and for what it does do. I guess that's as good a definition of art as any.

Cheers,

Mark Terry