Susan Granger’s review of “Spanglish” (Sony Entertainment)
The dictionary defines “bitch” as a bad-tempered woman – and never was one more evil and despicable than Tea Leoni’s character who is so totally unsympathetic that she ruins this film. Neurotic L.A. housewife Deborah Clasky (Leoni) is insecure, manipulative, selfish and totally self-absorbed. How she ever landed a doting husband/father like John (Adam Sandler), a renowned chef/restaurateur, is a mystery. Why he moans, “Great God in heaven, save me!” isn’t. Into their affluent, troubled home comes Flor (Paz Vega), a lovely Mexican housekeeper who has emigrated in hopes of providing a better life for her bright, bilingual 12 year-old daughter (Shelbie Bruce), who provides the narration. Although Flor speaks no English, she’s kind, compassionate, intelligent, sensitive and appreciative – everything Deborah isn’t – a fact that’s observed not only by John but by their children (Sarah Steele, Ian Hyland) and even Deborah’s eccentric, alcoholic mother (Cloris Leachman). So when Deborah embarks on an affair with a hunky realtor (Thomas Hayden Church), the threads of the Clasky marriage begin to unravel. While this human comedy/drama, written and directed by James L. Brooks (“As Good As It Gets”), delves into the cultural differences between Hispanic and American woman, it’s weighed down by Deborah’s sniveling, self-pitying personality. For example, when John has an awkward flirtation with Flor, you’re rooting for his unhappy marriage to dissolve and disappointed when it doesn’t. While Tea Leoni struggles hysterically, the picture belongs to Paz Vega, on whom cinematographer John Seale dotes. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Spanglish” is an occasionally funny, heart-wrenching 5, delineating a marriage that doesn’t deserve to be saved.
