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Spanglish (film)

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For other uses, see Spanglish (disambiguation).

Spanglish
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJames L. Brooks
Written byJames L. Brooks
Produced by
Starring
Narrated byAimee Garcia
CinematographyJohn Seale
Edited byRichard Marks
Music byHans Zimmer
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • December 17, 2004 (2004-12-17)
Running time
131 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish
Budget$80 million[2]
Box office$55 million[2]

Spanglish is a 2004 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by James L. Brooks, and starring Adam Sandler, Téa Leoni, Paz Vega and Cloris Leachman.

Christina Moreno, a Mexican-born Princeton candidate, writes about a significant year in her life when her mother Flor, a woman who left Mexico with her for a better life in America, worked for a family whose patriarch is a newly-celebrated chef with an insecure wife.

The film was released in the United States on December 17, 2004, by Columbia Pictures. It was a box-office bomb, grossing $55 million worldwide on an $80 million production budget.[2] The film received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

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In Cristina Moreno's Princeton University application essay, she tells the story of a year from her childhood and how it shaped who she is today.

In 1992, Flor Moreno, a Mexican single mother, moved to the US ("economy class," according to Cristina’s letter) to seek a better life for her and her daughter, Cristina. Settling in a Latino community in LA, Flor has no need to learn English, though Cristina does.

Flor works two jobs to support them, but as Cristina blossoms she realizes she needs to watch her more closely. So she gets a job as a housekeeper for John and Deborah Clasky; their children Bernice and Georgie; and Deborah's mother, Evelyn Wright.

John is a chef and easy-going family man. Deborah is a businesswoman who was laid off, so is now a stay-at-home mother. Evelyn is a retired singer. Deborah is uptight, neurotic and insecure. She body-shames Bernice and bullies John by demanding he always back her up. He is torn between defending his kids' mental health and his domineering wife. Flor tries to build Bernice's self-confidence with small acts of kindness, especially when Deborah is harsh.

Flor gets on well with the Claskys despite the language barrier. When Deborah rents a house for the summer, she demands Flor live in while they are there, as commuting from LA to Malibu by bus is unfeasible. Faced with losing her job, Flor reluctantly agrees to bring Cristina to live with the Claskys for the summer. Cristina is instantly dazzled by the Claskys' wealthy lifestyle.

Deborah quickly attaches to the beautiful and personable Cristina, ignoring Bernice. Flor does not approve of the attention. John unwittingly angers Flor when he offers to pay the children a set amount for each bit of sea glass they find on the beach. Cristina earnestly searches for hours, earning $650 for her efforts.

Flor and John argue, with Cristina as an interpreter. Flor wants to leave because of the awkward family dynamic. He convinces her to stay to Cristina's delight, and Flor starts an English course so she can better communicate with them.

After John's restaurant receives an enthusiastic review, he stresses about maintaining standards. Deborah begins an affair with a real estate agent. She also secures Cristina a scholarship to Bernice's private school, upsetting Flor, who is concerned her daughter might become an outcast or lose her individuality there. As Cristina begs to attend, Flor agrees but feels that Deborah is overstepping her bounds and voices her concerns to John, who tells her he empathizes as Bernice's own mother does not support her.

Deborah allows Cristina to bring her private school friends over for a sleepover, telling Flor it is a study session although Cristina is expected home for a family event. The now-sober Evelyn confronts her daughter about her affair, warning her she will lose John and ruin her life if she does not stop.

Deborah confesses to John, who cannot face her so leaves. He encounters Flor, who has arrived to quit and retrieve Cristina. Since Cristina is asleep with her friends, John takes Flor to his restaurant, where he cooks for her, and they admit their feelings for each other but acknowledge they cannot have a relationship.

A desperate Deborah continuously tries to contact John, blaming Evelyn's failings as a parent for her behavior. They have a frank conversation during which they admit their faults, so become closer.

The next day, Flor comes to take Cristina home and informs her that she has quit her job, which upsets her. John and Flor part amicably. On the way home, Flor further informs Cristina she cannot attend private school anymore, which leads her to have a public meltdown and accuse her of ruining her life.

After asking her mother for "space," Flor, having lost patience, tells Cristina she must answer an important question at such a young age: "Is what you want for yourself to become someone very different than me?" Cristina considers this on their bus ride home before they make up and embrace.

Cristina's essay to the Princeton committee concludes that, although she their acceptance would thrill her, she would not let it define her, as she is already her mother's daughter.

Cast

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Production

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James L. Brooks cast Adam Sandler after seeing his more dramatic performance in Punch-Drunk Love.[3]

Paz Vega could not speak English when filming began and an interpreter was on set during filming so that she could communicate with the director.[3]

Cloris Leachman replaced Anne Bancroft, who dropped out of the part after four weeks of shooting because of illness.[3]

According to cinematographer John Seale, over two million feet of film was shot; Kodak sent him two bottles of champagne out of appreciation. This was the most footage Seale ever shot on a film, and it wasn't surpassed until Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015.[4]

Reception

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Box office

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The film grossed $8 million at #3 during its opening weekend. It eventually grossed $42 million at the box office in the United States and another $12 million outside the US, which brings the worldwide total of $55 million. The film's failure was partly due to its competition with Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Ocean's Twelve, and Meet the Fockers.

Critical response

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On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 54% based on reviews from 168 of critics, with an average rating of 6/10. The critical consensus reads, "Paz Vega shines, and Adam Sandler gives a performance of thoughtfulness and depth, but Spanglish is ultimately undermined by sitcommy plotting and unearned uplift."[5] On Metacritic it has a score of 48% based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B+" on scale of A to F.[7]

Its proponents claim it is a moving portrayal of the difficulty of family problems and self-identity (and perhaps to a lesser extent the difficulties and rewards of cross-cultural communication). Some critics described the film as "uneven",[8] "awkward," for example when "John and Flor attempt to bare their souls to one another ... [with] lots of words coming out of their mouths, but there doesn't seem to be a context",[9] and "The supporting performers deserve better, especially ... Cloris Leachman, who's consigned to a demeaning role...[and] the butt of rather mean-spirited jokes."[10]

Accolades

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Award Category Recipients Result Ref.
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards Best Intergenerational Film Spanglish Nominated [11]
Best Screenwriter James L. Brooks Nominated
Best Actress Cloris Leachman Nominated
California on Location Awards Assistant Location Manager of the Year – Feature Films Kei Rowan-Young Won [12]
German Dubbing Awards Outstanding Newcomer Performance Patricia Jahn Won
62nd Golden Globes Awards Best Original Score Hans Zimmer Nominated [13]
Imagen Foundation Awards Best Picture Spanglish Nominated [14]
Best Director – Film James L. Brooks Nominated
Best Actress – Film Paz Vega Nominated
Best Supporting Actress – Film Shelbie Bruce Won
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards Breakout of the Year – On Screen Paz Vega Won [15]
Best Performance by Youth in a Leading or Supporting Role – Female Sarah Steele Won
Satellite Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Comedy or Musical Cloris Leachman Nominated [16]
11th Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Cloris Leachman Nominated [17]
The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards Worst Actress Tea Leoni Nominated [18]
Worst On-Screen Couple Adam Sandler
Tea Leoni 		Nominated
Young Artist Awards Best Family Film – Comedy or Musical Spanglish Nominated [19]
Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Actor Age Ten or Younger Ian Donovan Hyland Nominated
Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actress Shelbie Bruce Nominated
Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actress Sarah Steele Nominated

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "SPANGLISH (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. January 6, 2005. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "Spanglish (2004)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Daly, Steve (November 12, 2004). "What, Him Worry?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 29, 2008. Retrieved August 30, 2009.
  4. ^ Buchanan, Kyle (2022). "Chapter 27: If You Can't Fix What's Broken". Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road (first ed.). New York City: HarperCollins. p. 262. ISBN 978-0-06-308434-6.
  5. ^ "Spanglish (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  6. ^ "Spanglish". Metacritic. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  7. ^ "SPANGLISH (2004) B+". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  8. ^ Meyer, Carla (December 17, 2004). "Uneven 'Spanglish' has good moments". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  9. ^ "Spanglish". AisleSeat.com. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  10. ^ Vice, Jeff (December 7, 2004). "Film review: Spanglish". Deseret News. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  11. ^ "AARP Movies for Grownups Awards (2005)". IMDb. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  12. ^ "California on Location Awards (2004)". IMDb. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  13. ^ "Spanglish". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  14. ^ "Imagen Foundation Awards (2005)". IMDb. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  15. ^ "Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards (2004-2)". IMDb. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  16. ^ "Satellite Awards (2005)". IMDb. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  17. ^ "The 11th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  18. ^ "The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards (2004)". IMDb. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  19. ^ "Young Artist Awards (2005)". IMDb. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
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