See 'Spanglish'!

I wasn't prepared for my reaction to Spanglish, which my family and I watched last night: I loved it!

Had I paid attention, I would have realized that it was written and directed by James L. Brooks, a tremendous filmmaker, adept at blending the comic and dramatic elements of life through characters that are realisitcally drawn and putting them in situations that fully explore the implications of their personalities. His credits include Terms of Endearment and As Good As It Gets. Brooks' involvement alone, had I paid attention to it, would have caused me to give this film a chance. But its original release last year barely dented my consciousness.

As it is, some friends of ours recommended Spanglish and loaned the DVD of it to us last night. I was truly stunned by it.

For one thing, there are the characters and the actors who play them. Who knew that Adam Sandler could act with the kind of winsome subtlety that marks his performance here? I certainly didn't. But his portrayal of John Clasky, a successful chef and a decent man, married to the deeply insecure and manipulative Deborah Clasky, played by Téa Leoni, is wonderful.

Leoni, playing a part that could have devolved into cartoon caricature, manages to keep Deborah realistic as she is, by turns, comedic, villainous, pathetic, and chastened.

Two other players round out the starring cast. Paz Vega, as the Mexican emigre who is housekeeper for the Clasky family, Flor Moreno, turns in a stunning performance. As she battles against being overtaken by the machinations of Leoni's character, struggles to learn English, fights to keep her daughter, and deals with an explosion of unexpected emotions, she is endearing and strong. Frankly, this is an Oscar-worthy performance. It's that good!

Cloris Leachman is fantastic as Leoni's on-screen mother. An alcoholic and one-time jazz singer, she manages to grab sobriety long enough to talk sense to her daughter.

None of the characters in this amazing movie are perfect. That's why I liked them so much.

But here's why I came to love them: When confronted with the possibility of doing the wrong things, as easy it would be to do them and as difficult as doing right will likely be for them, they choose to do the right things.

This is the best film I have seen in a long time. See Spanglish and tell me if you don't agree.