My apologies, couldn't resist the pun in going the opposite direction of Bill Murray's movie "Lost in Translation." but Paz Vega (the star of Almodovar's masterpiece "Talk to Her" and the wild "Sex and Lucia") is such a lovely presence in the James Brooks movie "Spanglish". The story is all about the great length one's mother will go through for a child, even hurdling a seemingly insurmountable language barrier, hence the title "Spanglish."
The movie's a bit on the long side, over 2 hours, but it's got things going for it. The obvious is Vega Paz (to quote Adam Sandler "you're so drop-dead gorgeous.."). Then, there's the understated acting of Adam Sandler (always believed he can do drama anyway; besides, he was great in "50 First Dates" and I'm not even a fan), it would have been a boring 2 hours. Add the sketches of the quirks most of our moms have anyway and you'd walk away feeling that James Brooks really have a penchant for capturing the essence of real people and real life in his movies (watch his other gems, "Riding in Cars with Boys," "As Good as it Gets," and "Jerry Maguire.") and like in real life, some things like promising relationships, don't always pan out. Nice, feel-good dramedy with a few comic turns sprinkled on it.
Quote of the day:
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (thanks to Centerpointe.com's "Mind Chatter")
