Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Spanglish Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 26, 2017

Writer/Director James L. Brooks may not be the prototypical Hollywood "household name" that gets the recognition from and sells tickets to the masses, but his writing and filmmaking accomplishments place him in Tinseltown's top-tier of creative artists who have left an indelible mark on the cinema landscape. Films like Broadcast News and As Good As It Gets are certainly going to be remembered as amongst greatest achievements, but one of his second-level works is Spanglish, an Adam Sandler Comedy/Drama about life and understanding it from and through cultural and language barriers but also the universal language of the human condition. It's an honest, sharp, and well-made movie with plenty of dramatic muscle, a sense of humor, and a big heart. It's imperfect, sure, but as a slice-of-life movie that attempts to depict real characters who are very human and very vulnerable, it works very well.

This could be...awkward...or exciting...

In reflection of her life for a college entrance essay, Cristina (Shelbie Bruce) tells the story of her and her divorcee mother Flor's (Paz Vega) move to the United States. Flor holds down odd jobs and made ends meet, but as Cristina ages, Flor's responsibilities as a mother only seem to increase. Seeking more pay for fewer hours in an effort to stay closer to her daughter at a vulnerable time in a young woman's life, Flor interviews for a housekeeper position for the wealthy Clasky family. Father John (Adam Sandler) is a Los Angeles chef of some renown hoping for a very good (not necessarily great) review from one of the world's top food critics. Mother Deborah (Téa Leoni) is a stay-at- home mom of two who previous lost her job after her company closed it doors. Son George (Ian Hyland) and his older sister Bernice (Sarah Steele), who is working through a strained relationship with her mother, are the youngest family members. Also living in the house is Deb's alcoholic mother, Evelyn (Cloris Leachman). Though Flor doesn't speak a word of English, Deb finds herself drawn to her and she's hired on to the job. It pays what she needs and offers a little added gossip-worthy drama along the way, but when the Clasky's insist she stay on permanently over the summer, she and Cristina move in, experiencing all life, and life at the Clasky household, has to offer firsthand.

Spanglish is a difficult film to classify. On one hand it's a fairly deep and detailed human Drama that explores interactions and limitations of culture and language in getting to know someone, particularly in a foreign land with a foreign culture and lifestyle and a bit of dysfunction thrown on top to make it all the more challenging. It's also a portrait of a struggling marriage that's drifting towards a breaking point; he's a success at work but doesn't mind sacrificing the top to stay comfortable in the middle and close to his family, and she's a neurotic mother of two who's either always on the verge of a breakdown or putting her foot in her mouth. On the other hand the movie can be a fairly light and breezy Comedy. Sprinkle in a little romance, growing pains, and the clashes between children and the adults who love them and it seems like the movie is all over the map. But Brooks juggles it all brilliantly and with a keen understanding of each element's place in the movie: what to emphasize or deemphasize at just the right moment, building and balancing characters, exploring themes intimately but tenderly. The movie is engaging throughout. Even if it's tonally disparate at the micro level, the macro level shows a much more balanced film that explores in some detail and with plenty of passion the one thing that's most difficult to classify: life.

Brooks' more-than-capable craftsmanship both at the writers' desk and behind the camera is punctuated by the movie's ensemble. Strong performances abound from the adults and children alike, creating a cohesive family structure on both sides of the language and cultural barriers, with Shelbie Bruce tackling the unenviable role of both translator and person caught in the middle of her mother's love and demands and wants for her life and the new freedoms she gains and experiences she enjoys thanks to her growing relationship with the Clasky family. Paz Vega is superb as her mother, playing the part of the honest and beautiful housekeeper with incredible grace and insight. Her character's multifaceted layering becomes more apparent as the film moves along and her slow-burn relationship with John moves towards critical mass. She lights up the screen but at the same time stabilizes it as much of the movie is seen through her eyes. Téa Leoni is great as the upside-down mother, a fitness enthusiast who can't quite keep her mouth or heart or family relationships up to the level of perfection for which she strives with her body. Adam Sandler is terrific in the lead opposite Vega, showing his lighter comedic side throughout but much more important keeping up with the film's dramatic needs and building his character alongside Vega's, culminating in a very well conceived and executed sequence in which their growing fondness and intimacy reaches a boiling point with a surprising outcome.

Spanglish Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Spanglish is yet another "Choice Collection" Blu-ray release that exceeds expectations. Even as it's just burned onto a BD-R disc and "manufactured on demand," Sony hasn't released an inferior product, at least where it really counts on the technical side of the ledger. Like Little Women and Not Another Teen Movie, Spanglish features an attractively filmic 1080p transfer, retaining a light grain structure and high level detailing. Faces aren't quite as finely, intimately complex as they might be on the best releases, but natural skin details and depth are nevertheless impressive. Clothing, too, is rich and complex while plenty of background and foreground nicknacks around the films various locations sparkle with high-yield clarity and natural sharpness. That's not even to mention plenty of gorgeous and well defined exterior elements seen throughout. Colors are many and nicely saturated. The palette does push towards a noticeable warmth, particularly evident on flesh tones which range from close to neutral to fairly red, but there's no missing the diversity and punch on display throughout. Black levels hold deep and natural. Print wear is imperceptible if it's there and no serious encode flaws are readily apparent. Despite the crude peripherals, Sony has yet again impressed with a "Choice Collection" release.

Spanglish Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Spanglish's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack isn't exactly awash in dynamic, high end sound, but the film doesn't call for that. With the exception of a high-speed convertible car gust of air that blows through the stage at one point in the film -- complete with a convincing overhead sensation even without the added top-layer channels -- there's not much here beyond light music, atmospherics, and dialogue. Music is appropriately clear, largely the property of the fronts and wide enough to please. Basic ambient effects like chops and clanks in a kitchen or background din at a restaurant bring such environments to convincing life. Dialogue is the movie's lifeblood, however, and it's presented clearly and firmly in the front-center channel. It's always well prioritized, though precious little really competes with it, anyway.

Spanglish Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Spanglish contains two supplements that are accessible in-film only via the Pop-Up Menu. No Top Menu is included. The release's physical characteristics is typical of the "Choice Collection" line: crude disc artwork, a needlessly large case, inelegant sleeve printing, and even a capitalization typo in the special features listing (nobody's perfect). It's very utilitarian.

• Casting Sessions (480i, 4:24): Audition footage with Victoria Luna, Shelbie Bruce, Sarah Steele, and Paz Vega.
• HBO First Look: The Making of Spanglish (480i, 13:01): The piece begins with cast and crew talking up the film and story and moves on to look at the characters and performances, Brooks' writing and filmmaking, and more.

Spanglish Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Spanglish may not be the best "modern family" movie of the 21st century, and it's certainly not even the finest film in the James L. Brooks canon, but it's a very capable, well made, strongly performed, and evenly varied piece that examines the human condition through and around a couple of key barriers, natural and manufactured alike. It's well paced even at over two hours and is a comfortable film that balances ease of access with deeper smarts. Sony's "Choice Collection" Blu-ray features very strong 1080p video, a capable lossless soundtrack, and a couple of DVD-era extras. Recommended.