Spanglish
July 2005 Reviewed by: Josh Barber Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Is Adam Sandler growing up? Recently, he is playing actual adults, instead of developmentally stunted men-children. First was his critically acclaimed turn in Punch-Drunk Love, and now the remarkably mature Spanglish. Despite his prominent place in most of the film’s advertising, Sandler is really a supporting actor: the film belongs to Paz Vega and Shelbie Bruce, as a Mexican immigrant mother and her daughter.

John Clasky (Sandler) is a chef daunted by his own success. His wife Deborah (Tea Leoni) is a new stay-at-home mom -- she has just lost her job and is trying to adapt to a life spent entirely at home. Her mother, Evelyn (Cloris Leachman), also lives with them, doing little more than finding new ways to drink before noon. To ease Deborah’s adjustment to home life, the Claskys hire a housekeeper, Flor (Vega). At first, she escapes the family’s insanity by going home every night, but when they head to their Malibu summer home, it is too far for her to commute. The family invites Flor and her daughter to live with them for the summer.

The acting is good, even if the story isn’t terribly original -- the most groundbreaking thing Spanglish brings to the screen is a Hollywood father who is actually a caring parent and worthy role model, rather than a disinterested, incompetent boob. Well, that and the fact that it is Sandler who’s playing him.

The color levels are a bit off on this DVD, but it is not a problem with the transfer: the movie was set and shot in Malibu in the summer, so the outdoor scenes are all a little over-bright. When the sun sets or the action moves indoors, the picture is much clearer, with strong shadows and good detail. As you might expect from a film named after a type of speech, Spanglish is dialogue-driven; don’t expect any world-shaking surround sound. The voices all come through clearly, which is good. Languages and subtitles are available in English and French -- the disc oddly lacks any Spanish.

Editors Richard Marks and Tia Nolan join James L. Brooks for a commentary. It is mostly Brooks’ show, as he jokes around, explains his directorial decisions, and goes into more depth about certain scenes. Though Brooks spends a lot of time laughing at the movie and at himself, Marks and Nolan are active participants as well. The three also offer optional commentary on 12 deleted scenes. Most of the cuts seem obvious, and none of them really would have added very much to the final film. One in particular, where the romantic subtext between John and Flor is brought to the surface, would have been inappropriate. An HBO First Look is included. As a making-of, it is not terrible. It deals mainly with the genesis of the characters and the shooting schedule, but we also get to see Vega’s progress at learning English -- she didn’t speak a word of it when she was cast. You can watch a series of screen-test tapes, again with commentary by Brooks. Finally, since one of the main characters is a chef, you get a quick recipe for a BLT from chef Thomas Keller, the French chef whose experiences provided the basis for the movie.

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