Spanglish (2004)

A woman and her daughter emigrate from Mexico for a better life in America, where they start working for a family where the patriarch is a newly celebrated chef with an insecure wife.

Director:

James L. Brooks

Writer:

James L. Brooks

Stars:

Adam Sandler, Téa Leoni, Paz Vega

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adam Sandler	...	John Clasky
Téa Leoni	...	Deborah Clasky
Paz Vega	...	Flor Moreno
Cloris Leachman	...	Evelyn Wright
Shelbie Bruce	...	Cristina Moreno
Sarah Steele	...	Bernice 'Bernie' Clasky
Ian Hyland	...	George 'Georgie' Clasky
Victoria Luna	...	Cristina Moreno - Age 6
Cecilia Suárez	...	Monica (as Cecilia Suarez)
Ricardo Molina	...	Flor's Husband
Brenda Canela	...	Luz
Eddy Martin	...	14-Year-Old Boy
Nicole Nieth	...	Hostess at Fancy Restaurant
Jamie Kaler	...	Businessman
James Lancaster	...	Businessman

Storyline

John Clasky is a devoted dad whose skills as a chef have offered his family a very upscale life, including a summer home in Malibu and a breathtaking new Mexican housekeeper, named Flor. She and her daughter Cristina have recently emigrated to L.A. from Mexico and are trying to find a better life. When they move in with the Claskys for the summer, Flor has to fight for her daughter's soul as she discovers that life in a new country is perilous!

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Plot Keywords:

housekeeper | chef | mexico | marriage | princeton university | 

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Taglines:

Every family has a hero.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Gracie Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

17 December 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Espanglish

Filming Locations:

Il Cielo - 9018 Burton Way, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$129,994 (South Africa) (1 April 2005)

Gross:

$276,485 (South Africa) (15 April 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Gracie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Anne Bancroft was originally set to play Deborah's mother but had to pull out of the film.

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Goofs

When the Audi reverses out of the driveway, it has no license plate on it. However in the next shot, it suddenly has one.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Boy's Voice: [voiceover to scene of people reviewing applications] To Dean of Admission, Princeton University. The most influential person in my life...
Girl's Voice: ...is Mother Teresa, whose example helped me overcome the arrogance which threatened after my 1600 SAT score in National Merit Scholarship
Girl's Voice #2: ...most influential person taught me the most important word I've ever learned; Aloha, which I...
Narrator: To the Dean of Admission, Princeton University, from Cristina Moreno. Most influential person, my Mother, No ...

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Crazy Credits

No actors were mistreated in the making of this film.

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Connections

Referenced in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.5 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Round and Round"
Written by Musze, Andrew Hale, Stuart Matthewman, Lisa "Aya" Trenier and Ian Duncan
Performed by Sweetback
Courtesy of Epic Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

beautiful

This movie makes me cry every time. Perhaps the soundtrack does it's job, or the push-ins when the characters have their deep emotional revelations of the epitome of their personalities, but it's not what happens that makes me cry. It is the way the characters are relateable, not so much as the commonness of their ways, because they are very quirky almost to the extreme, but because there is a part of every person in each of them, or at least a part to strives to be. The language barrier just highlights the dialogue, as one watching tries to hear it from foreign ears and yet understands movements and emotions better than what is said. And that, I think, makes this movie perfect.