"a richly entertaining film that examines, as its title suggests, what happens when people from two very different worlds are brought together in an imperfect union." James Sanford KALAMAZOO GAZETTE "The film gets better as it goes along ... and all the characters, including Deborah, become more interesting and appealing as we get to know them better." Andrew Sarris NEW YORK OBSERVER "earnestly gives us our money’s worth, building characters in the midst of a juggling act that includes three leads and three fantastic supporting performances" Norm Schrager FILMCRITIC.COM "Sandler brings a humanity and sweetness to his role that makes one forget the brashness of Happy Gilmore and Mr. Deeds." John Venable SUPERCALA.COM

"It gives us ideas to chew on, moments to laugh at and performances to admire, but, like so many current lives, it is also somewhat in disarray, not always equal to its admirable intentions and the grace of its most successful aspects." Kenneth Turan LOS ANGELES TIMES "A warmly inviting story that sneaks up on you and grabs you, it's one of the best movies of the year." Steve Rhodes, STEVE RHODES' INTERNET REVIEWS "Smart, often quite funny and has a great deal of heart, so much so that it feels almost hurtful to call it uneven and muddled." Mary F Pols CONTRA COSTA TIMES "It is nice to see Adam Sandler in a role outside his normal wild behavior. This is an enjoyable show with a lot of substance." Vince Koehler ENTERTAINMENT SPECTRUM

The Inside Story

"Sandler's best-ever performance -- the least self-conscious thing he's done" ...... Rich Cline SHADOWS ON THE WALL

From the Director/Writer of "As Good As It Gets" and "Terms of Endearment", James L Brooks, comes this fascinating little study of two familes from vastly different cultural backgrounds who are worlds apart when it comes to family values. While many may see "Spanglish" as a film focussed on an adult world [and in some ways this is true], it is in the main a film about children. How they are moulded, how they are nurtured, how they are respected and most of all, how children, no matter what their appearance, should be loved. In the film that is evidenced most between the characters John Clasky and Flor [that's Florrrr] Moreno. "There’s so much that’s amazingly different between these two cultures and this movie has so much to do with where they meet, and where they can never meet. One of the places where they can meet, and where the characters of Flor and John find common ground, is in their approach toward raising their children. Each is comfortable with their children being preeminent in the living of their lives," says director, writer and producer James L Brooks. Right from the start, the audience understands just how much Flor's daughter Christina means to her. Deserted by her husband, Flor devotes herself to her daughter Christina, even moving from her native Mexico to the United States even though she speaks no English at all. "Flor feels enormous guilt for having married a man who couldn’t properly be a parent and buries all her needs as a young woman to devote herself to her child. This devotion is neither a sacrifice nor martyrdom, but the most natural thing in the world to her," says Brooks. Flor attributes her selflessness to being a product of her mothers values. "I am my mother’s daughter," she notes with pride. Worlds apart from Flor and Christina are the women in the Clasky household. John's wife Deborah, is played by 2001 Saturn Award winner ("The Family Man") Téa Leoni ("Deep Impact", "Bad Boys" & "Wyatt Earp") "is going through a major early midlife-crisis, which is affecting everyone around her. A professional type-A successful woman, able to work hard, she loses her job and is thrust into being a full-time mom. A profound and enormously correct sense of her own inadequacy envelops her. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, but her desperation is sure doing some damage," says Brooks. The result of that desperation is jeopardizing Deborah's marriage and driving both her children away. Deborah's mother Evelyn Norwich [played by Cloris Leachman], is a former somewhat successful Jazz singer who lives in-house and now seems to devote a lot of her time to drinking large quantities of wine. "At a certain point, Evelyn’s the one who sees everything coming," says Brooks. "She gets what’s happening before the participants do. She has a line where she says to Flor: I love you. I love all of us. That’s what’s killing me." Flor too encounters problems with Deborah who pampers Christina while excluding her own daughter Bernice. "Deborah is almost completely self-absorbed, dangerously insecure and there isn’t anyone who hates her more than she hates herself. I guess that’s her most redeeming quality", says Téa Leoni. "Deborah is so close to being a good mother, a good wife, a good person, she is almost intelligent, almost appropriate, almost understanding, and almost has a sense of humor, but not quite. Deborah truly believes that what she's doing is loving, protecting and supporting her daughter." Husband John on the other hand is totally devoted to his two children, something Deborah sometimes finds infuriating. "John is as devoted a parent as Flor. He demonstrates enormous goodwill and optimism as he tries to be both mother and father to his children as Deborah becomes dangerously self-involved. Although separated by language, Flor and John find a great deal of common ground in their unwavering and sincere commitment to their children." Amidst all this tension John is trying to run a restaurant and keep his family together. Extra pressure comes to him when a major food critic announces plans to rate the restaurant. John is only too aware of what the outcome to that could be. Having experienced the effect it had in New York he makes a bold statement about keeping his current clientele intact. "It was like a line formed to become an asshole. People’s accents changed." John is astute enough to know that "three and a quarter stars would be perfect. You get enough respect so good people will still work with you. Business is good, not crazy. You’re right there underneath the radar where you get to mind your own business. That’s a solid life." One big point that stands out like a pimple on your nose, is that this appearance by Adam Sandler [who seems to have left his desire to be the centre of attention in every film he appears in by attempting to be funny no matter what] in the role of father, husband and highly repected restaurateur John Clasky will gauner wider appeal. Once again Sandler, as he did in "Punch-Drunk Love", shows he can entertain an audience by taking on 'straight' roles. Now I am sure there are plenty of Adam Sandler fans who will deride me for that statement, but it's true. Let them go ahead and mock me. The fact is this, of late, since the film "Mr Deeds", Sandler has been very unfunny. This is better stuff, the stuff that will keep his audience following and not drive people away. Finally a few pieces of interesting trivia. "Spanglish" is a hybrid language spoken by around 40 million people [known as Latinos] in the United States of America. The Malibu summer beach house, rented by the Clasky's in the film once belonged to famed singer Al Jolson. After appearing in James L Brooks films, actor Jack Nicholson won two Academy Awards ®. One for "Terms Of Endearment" and the other for "As Good As It Gets", while Helen Hunt won an Academy Award ® for "As Good as it Gets" and Shirley MacLaine won an Academy Award ® for "Terms of Endearment". Spanglish was shot entirely in Los Angeles in such locations as Beverly Hills, Bel Air, Malibu and Stage 27 on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City by Oscar ® winning Australian cinematographer John Seale A.S.C. ("The English Patient") whose list of credits includes "Cold Mountain", "The Perfect Storm", "Ghosts of Mississippi" and "The Firm". Searle was Australian Cinematographer of the Year in 1983 ("Goodbye Paradise") and 1985 ("Witness"). Crew Bytes "SPANGLISH" was .......
directed by James L Brooks ["Terms of Endearment", "Broadcast News", "I'll Do Anything" and "As Good As It Gets"]; screenplay by James L Brooks ["Starting Over", "Terms of Endearment", "Broadcast News" and "As Good As It Gets"]; costume design by Louise Mingenbach ["One Night Stand", "Gossip", "K-PAX" and "X-Men I & II"]; production design by Ida Random ["The Big Chill", "Silverado", "Wyatt Earp", "The Postman" and "Along Came A Spider"]; edited by Richard Marks ["Alice's Restaurant", "Little Big Man", "The Rain People", "The Evil That Men Do" and "Inspector Gadget"]; director of photograhpy John Seale ["Rain Man", "Dead Poets Society", "The English Patient", "The Perfect Storm" and "Cold Mountain"]; original music by Hans Zimmer ["Riding In Cars With Boys", "Gladiator", "Tears Of The Sun", "The Last Samurai", "Thunderbirds" and "Shark Tale"] produced by Julie Ansell ["Riding in Cars with Boys"], Richard Sakai ["Bottle Rocket", "Jerry Maguire", "As Good As It Gets" and "Riding In Cars With Boys"] and James L Brooks ["Big", "Say Anything", "The War of the Roses", "I'll Do Anything", "Jerry Maguire" and "Riding In Cars With Boys"]. Casting About "SPANGLISH" stars .......
Adam Sandler ["The Wedding Singer", "Punch-Drunk Love", "Anger Management" and "50 First Dates"]; Téa Leoni ["Wyatt Earp", "Deep Impact", "The Family Man" and "Jurassic Park III"]; Cloris Leachman ["Herbie Goes Bananas", "The Beverly Hillbillies", "Never Too Late", "Hanging Up" and "Bad Santa"]; Shelbie Bruce ["Spanglish"]; Sarah Steele ["Spanglish"]; Ian Hyland ["Spanglish"]; Victoria Luna ["Spanglish"]; Cecilia Suárez ["Sex, Shame & Tears", "Moctezuma's Revenge", "Dreaming Of Julia" and "Charros"]; Thomas Haden Church ["Tombstone", "One Night Stand", "3000 Miles to Graceland", "George of the Jungle 1 & 2" and "Sideways"]; Brenda Canela ["Citlalli's Prayer"]; Ricardo Molina ["Sax's Final Orbit", "Honest Injun", "Two Coyotes" and "King Rikki"]; Aimee Garcia ["The Homecoming", "The Good Girl", "L.T.R." and "Boricua"] and Paz Vega ["Perdón, perdón", "Talk To Her", "The Wrong Side of the Bed" and "Carmen"] as Flor. What It's All About

"The film's deepest charms come from its ensemble's wacky chemistry and Brooks' warm appreciation of the love between parents and children." Lisa Kennedy DENVER POST

Flor Moreno, devoted mother of Christina has decided it is time they moved to a better place. That place is Los Angeles in the United States. Here among the Latino community Flor works hard to earn a living. Then an opprtunity arises to apply for a job as a housekeeper. Deborah Clasky is most impressed with Flor and offers her the job even though Flor doesn't speak a word of English. Deborah is under a lot of pressure. She's just lost her job, her mother, who lives with them is a heavy drinker, her daughter has a weight problem and her husband John is too laid back. Flor doesn't tell Deborah she has a daughter until the family shift to a summer house at Malibu. It is too far to commute and Flor must quit her job. Deborah will have none of that. Cristina and Flor will move in with them. All goes well until Deborah starts taking over responsibilities that affect how Flor would like to bring up Cristina. Flor must somehow communicate to John and Deborah that she is not happy with Deborah taking over Cristina's life. But there is worse to come. Feelings are developing between John and Flor. The Verdict "Paz Vega is a breath of fresh air as Flor [Florrrr], while Cloris Leachman is delightful as the matriarchal, wine swilling, Evelyn Norwich. Adam Sandler shows once again that he's better surrounded by comedic moments rather than trying to be the life of them. As was evident in "Punch-Drunk Love" and to some extent "50 First Dates", Sandler's 'serious' performances are slowly winning over audiences. His turn as respected restaurateur John Clasky is a surprisingly good role, but then, everything about "Spanglish" is surprisingly good. Recommended." The Cast

Adam Sandler Téa Leoni Paz Vega Cloris Leachman Shelbie Bruce Sarah Steele Ian Hyland Victoria Luna Cecilia Suarez Ricardo Molina Brenda Canela Eddy Martin Nicole Nieth Jamie Kaler James Lancaster Phil Rosenthal Angela Goethals Sean Smith Jonathan Hernandez Thomas Haden Church Freddy Soto Wendy Braun l Nichole Hiltz Eric Schaeffer Aimee Garcia Jean Gaskill

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John Deborah Flor Moreno Evelyn Norwich Cristina Bernice Georgie Cristina[6yoa] Monica Flor's Husband Luz Fourteen Year-Old Boy Hostess at Fancy Restaurant Businessman Businessman Pietro Gwen Victor [Maitre D'] Alex Mike [Realtor] Manuel [Hispanic Man] Yuppie Girl Yuppie Girl Rabid Sports Fan Narrator Arlene [School Director]

The Crew Directed by James L Brooks Written by James L Brooks Produced by Julie Ansell/James L Brooks/Richard Sakai Original Music by Hans Zimmer Cinematography by John Seale Film Editing by Richard Marks Casting by Addison McQuigg/Manuel Teil/Mary Vernieu Production Design by Ida Random Art Direction by Tom Reta Set Decoration by Leslie A Pope Costume Design by Louise Mingenbach Unit Production Manager Daniel M Stillman Run Time 130 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright © 2005 - Sony Pictures Entertainment - All Rights Reserved Enduring© - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages- Copyright Protected & All Rights Reserved