Spanglish

I remember when this movie came out several years ago people seemed to have rather strong reactions to it. They either liked or couldn't stand it. Having finally watched it, I believe some of the fault for people's disposition towards the film lies in the deceptive way it was marketed to audiences. It was marketed as another Adam Sandler comedy - not as outlandish as most of his other ones, but still a movie full of humor. Yet, this movie is FAR from being an Adam Sandler comedy, and truthfully has very little to do with his character at all. He just happens to be the biggest named star in the film, so the easy way to sell the film is to make it seem as though it's all about his character.

The film starts off as a narrative told in the form of a young Mexican-American girl's college application essay. In it she lays out for the reader the important lessons that she learned from her mother. And what amazing lessons of strength, risk, and integrity they were! After being abandoned by the girl's father, Flor (the mother), stays as long as she can in Mexico to raise her daughter until she feels it is absolutely necessary to move to the US.  Even after they move to the US, Flor raises her daughter in a densely populated Hispanic section of Los Angeles - not making the entry into white suburban America until forced to find a well-paying 9 to 5 job.  Throughout the film, Flor (who is gorgeous) maintains amazing integrity as an example to her daughter of hard work and values.  Men continually make fools of themselves in her presence, but Flor is steadfast in remaining a positive influence in the life of her daughter.  One example is when Flor and her daughter go out to eat.  A couple of business men at the bar decide they'd like to buy her a drink and have the waitress relay this proposition to Flor.  Being the amazing woman that she is, she has the waitress relay the message of how inappropriate it is for them to offer to buy her a drink while she is out to dinner with her very young daughter.  I love it!  Also, in the film Flor is tempted to engage in adultery with the husband of the family that she works for - and while they do engage in a kiss - she firmly puts a stop to it and quits the job afterwards.  For me, the whole film revolved around this woman and what she was willing to do for her daughter and the example she wanted to set for her.  The other characters were background noise to me - some louder and more annoying than others (Tea Leoni's character was obnoxious and INSANE) - for me they only served to emphasize the remarkableness of Flor.  There are many humorous aspects to the film - even some of Tea Leoni's antics are quite funny - but I would suggest watching it if only to admire the strength and grace of Flor in the midst of this chaotic suburban family.

Next up on my Netflix adventures are "Gone Baby Gone" and "Water Horse: Legend of the Deep."