Search - Spanglish on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG-13 Content Advisory: Adult Language, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 2004 DVD Release: 04/05/2005 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 11 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Total Copies: 233 Genres: Comedy Drama, Domestic Comedy, Slice of Life See Also: Spanglish [Widescreen] [with Zohan Movie Ticket]

A Hispanic woman and her young daughter are thrown into the middle of a well-to-do but remarkably dysfunctional family in this comedy drama from writer and director James L. Brooks. Flor (Paz Vega) is a single mother who has struggled to support her daughter Cristina (Shelbie Bruce) working as a domestic in Mexico. Hoping to give her daughter greater financial security, Flor packs up their belongings and moves the family to California, but Flor refuses to surrender her Latino identity and opts not to learn English; meanwhile, Cristina quickly learns to speak the language fluently. Flor lands a high-paying job working as a housekeeper for Deborah Clasky (Téa Leoni); Deborah doesn't speak a word of Spanish, but this is hardly the most curious thing about their working relationship. A deeply troubled neurotic who has spent time in a mental hospital, Deborah is at once obsessed with her duties as a wife and mother and utterly clueless to her family's needs, and when she learns that Flor has a daughter, she insists that the girl move in with the Claskys. Flor, however, isn't so sure she wants Deborah Americanizing Cristina, especially when Deborah begins doting on the girl at the expense of her relationship with her own daughter, Bernice (Sarah Steele). Deborah's husband, John (Adam Sandler), is an oasis of loving calm and understanding in the midst of his chaotic family, and Flor becomes attracted to this man who shows no signs of the arrogant machismo she's accustomed to. But John's career as a chef is turned upside down when The New York Times gives his restaurant a four-star review, suddenly turning his small eatery into the "in" spot in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Flor reaches the end of her patience when Deborah enrolls Cristina into an exclusive private school which Flor is certain will turn her into a typical American child and drive a wedge between Cristina and her mother. Spanglish also stars Cloris Leachman as Deborah's sharp-tongued mother. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Adam Sandler - John Clasky
Téa Leoni - Deborah Clasky
Paz Vega - Flor
Cloris Leachman - Evelyn
Shelbie Bruce - Cristina

The strange tonal shifts in James L. Brooks' Spanglish are addressed obliquely by the director in his commentary track for the DVD release of the film. The fascinating aspect of the commentary is that Brooks does not seem to think there is anything wrong with the film even while he tells stories about how audiences reacted to the movies in ways he found unusual. Brooks also addresses the rumors about the problems between his lead actress and himself. The commentary offers a look at a director who is still a little too close to his film. The film itself is presented in a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1. Additional supplemental materials include a featurette on the greatest sandwich ever (includes a recipe), footage from the casting sessions, and deleted scenes. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide