Spanglish

Finally caught up with this movie on DVD; the reviews had scared me away from the theatrical release. They're right, it doesn't quite work, but I'm damned if I can understand why. I hate to say it, but I think the blame has to be laid on the script.

There are many genuinely funny moments but it doesn't add up to anything substantial or culminate in any satisfying way. And when I think the screenplay is the worst part of a James L. Brooks movie...that's damning. Brooks is one of my biggest influences and I can still hear myself in his work (which I know really means the opposite, but go with me).

His eye for casting is breathtaking, as is his skill at getting genuine performances out of his actors. He's also got a real talent for making offbeat romantic pairings work (and you say he's a big influence on you?). Think Nicholson and Helen Hunt in As Good As It Gets, Albert Brooks and Holly Hunter in Broadcast News.

Here the Venus Paz Vega is paired with clumsy gag man Adam Sandler, who in the past has not been one of my favorites. But he's actually fabulous in this. That goes for most of the cast. For fans of good acting, it's worth a rental--but I would really love to have seen many of these same actors playing these same characters-only in a better-structured screenplay.