PREMIERE.COM'S REVIEW (posted 12/16/04)

James L. Brooks' Spanglish is stuck somewhere in the middle between message movie and melodrama. It's a sincere attempt by an accomplished filmmaker to reexamine his all-too-comfortable existence through the eyes of L.A.'s Hispanic demographic (at 48%, "minority" certainly isn't the right word). Spanglish doesn't always work — like its title, the movie straddles two separate worlds, landing squarely in the dreaded realm of "dramedy" — but it's a noble effort.

Imagine the challenge that faces a filmmaker in Brooks' position. The Oscar-winning writer/director has made four-star movies before, including Terms of Endearment and As Good As It Gets. It's a line from the latter — "You make me want to be a better man" — that serves as Brooks' mantra for the recovering human, as if to say: Nobody's perfect, but it's enough to recognize our limits and strive to be better. Like his on-screen counterpart (Adam Sandler), Brooks would probably be more comfortable with a three-star review, because it acknowledges room for improvement.

If you're rolling your eyes already, then Spanglish is almost certainly not your movie. It's schmaltzy and earnest in the way few films dare, and as such, it's an easy target for today's ironic moviegoer. Brooks wears his heart on his sleeve. He desperately wants to consider the American dream from an outsider's point of view, and in doing so reveals the boundaries of his own perspective. Here is a movie that patronizes the working class by romanticizing their struggle, doling out social commentary with great big belly laughs in between, like The Bicycle Thief as directed by Cameron Crowe.

Will audiences understand Brooks' message that this world of gated homes, summer shares, and private schools doesn't necessarily bring happiness, or will they remain fixated on the enviable lifestyle the Claskys lead? To make his point, Brooks juxtaposes two women, one an unsatisfied housewife (Téa Leoni) who has it all — a house in Beverly Hills, two beautiful children, and a successful, attentive husband (Sandler) — and the other an immigrant (Paz Vega) who cherishes the modest life she's made for herself in America.

Vega has the easier part, playing the wonder-nanny who uplifts the Clasky household, one spoonful of sugar at a time. Meanwhile, audiences will bristle at Leoni's character, but don't mistake her mood swings for bad acting. Hers is the film's most difficult role and the one that feels most like a real person — a woman who allows other people's happiness to aggravate her own frustration. She wants what's best for her family and friends, but she's also hopelessly self-centered, a mendable sin in Brooks' book (remember, the movie itself is Brooks' attempt to broaden his own horizons). Examine what it is about Leoni that rubs you the wrong way, and you may uncover the movie's most valuable lesson.

—Peter Debruge