Review: Spanglish



Spanglish is a revelation: Touching, genuine, intimate, and involving, it's the "small" picture at its best. The story is one of integration and separation, as a single latino mother (the stunning Paz Vega) makes a way for herself and her daughter in the swankiest parts of Los Angeles, amid a family tearing itself apart. The mother is a control-freak basket-case (Tea Leoni, taking a page from Annette Benning's character in American Beauty), the father (Adam Sandler) an irresolute chef afraid of his own restaurant's success. Their two children are amazingly well adjusted, considering.

Scenes in this movie will make you remember the sweet moments in your life--unrequited impossible love, the joy of simple kindness, the awkwardness and discovery of a new culture and place. In particular, the scene between Sandler and Vega speak volumes with a single look.

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