Spanglish

Adam Sandler as a misunderstand beacon of moral decency and fortitude? Pull the other one. Yet that's the central tenant of James L. Brooks's (Terms of Endearment) well meaning but slightly misguided comedy. In Spanglish Sandler plays a John Clasky, an LA chef whose life changes dramatically when his brittle wife (Tea Leoni) loses her job and decides to devote herself full-time to the couple's two children. When it becomes patently obvious that she's out of her depth in nurturing her son and daughter, relief comes in the shape of Mexican housekeeper Flor (Paz Vega) and her 12-year-old daughter Cristina (Shelbie Bruce), who doubles as her translator. With her doe-eye good looks and moral decency, John soon suspects that he actually has more in common with his housekeeper than he does with his overbearing wife.

As a gentle comedy about cross cultural differences and cluttered home lives, Spanglish has its merits. Not renowned for being the most sensitive actor, Sandler delivers a low-key performance as the befuddled chef, earning the audience's sympathy, while Paz Vega weighs in with a pitch perfect turn as a woman whose morals supersedes her growing desires. So far, so interesting. But where the film flounders somewhat is when Brooks attempts to extract more meaning from the material than it warrants, sacrificing Leoni's character's development and growth for some risible laughs. After doing the hard work in making Sandler likable, Brooks' rush to judge some of his protagonists feels a little cheap and unnecessary.