Spanglish (2004): In Which Tea Leoni is the Worst

[Wiendish Fitch]

I started this topic because Spanglish is another movie people hate, but love to talk about. So feel free to discuss how Tea Leoni is one of the worst movie moms of the 00s!

[Spartan Girl]

She was the literal epitome of the worst.

What I really hated about her was how she constantly defected accountability by playing the victim. If her kids don't like her, it's her husband's fault for "playing the good guy". She shoehorns her way into Flor's daughter's life, it's Flor's fault for being too narrow-minded to see what's best for her daughter. If she cheats on her husband, she blames her mother for setting a bad example and destroying her self-esteem. And so on and so on.

The woman was a bottomless pit. I really don't know why Adam Sandler's character put up with her for so long.  You can't argue that it was "for the kids" because getting those kids as far away from her WOULD be the best thing for those kids!

Edited March 28, 2018 by Spartan Girl

[methodwriter85]

On 3/28/2018 at 12:23 PM, Spartan Girl said:

The woman was a bottomless pit. I really don't know why Adam Sandler's character put up with her for so long.  You can't argue that it was "for the kids" because getting those kids as far away from her WOULD be the best thing for those kids!

I always assumed that was the real reason why Flor takes her out of the school. She knew that if she kept the daughter there, Tea's character would remain a big influence on her and she didn't want that. Tea's character is a bottomless pit and she didn't want her daughter to go down there with her. And the only reason Tea was interested in Flor's daughter was because she was thin and pretty and not "fat" like her own daughter.

The daughter by the time she's ready for college seems like she did well enough that she can realistically apply for Ivy League, so whatever happened in the ensuing 5 years between the movie and the daughter's grown-up voiceover, it worked well for her. Tea's daughter is probably either Kate's on This Is Us size, or she's a size 0 with a ton of eating disorders.

I came into this movie BLIND, though. I was expecting a happy, feel-good dumb Adam Sandler comedy. I was not expecting a character portrait of what happens when a narcissist becomes a parent, and how immigrants are just never going to catch up to their privileged white counterparts no matter how fast they try to run.

Edited April 14, 2018 by methodwriter85

[Spartan Girl]

Despite my hatred for Tea Leoni's character, I think this is one of Adam's better movies.

Lately I've been fantasizing that shortly after Flor and her daughter leave, Tea gets run over while out jogging and hollering "Left!" over and over, freeing the family of her tyranny and allowing Adam to start healing the damage she inflicted on the kids.

[Lsk02]

On 4/14/2018 at 5:21 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Tea's daughter is probably either Kate's on This Is Us size, or she's a size 0 with a ton of eating disorders.

In real life the actress was in the Tony winning play The Humans on Broadway and is normally sized. And a wonderful actress. :) I always worry about how the child stars who had to play ugly or unattractive fare all grown up, ala Tracy Gold. I was pleasantly surprised to have that “I know her!” moment when I saw this show. 

[methodwriter85]

30 minutes ago, Lsk02 said:

In real life the actress was in the Tony winning play The Humans on Broadway and is normally sized. And a wonderful actress. :) I always worry about how the child stars who had to play ugly or unattractive fare all grown up, ala Tracy Gold. I was pleasantly surprised to have that “I know her!” moment when I saw this show. 

Good for her. I always felt bad for her character ,especially the moment she saw how her mother was immediately embracing Flor's daughter and knew exactly the reason why.

[auntiemel]

I remember being struck by the fact that Adam Sandler was supposed to run kitchens in New York and Los Angeles, and yet is completely flummoxed to encounter an employee who only speaks Spanish.

Edited June 18, 2018 by auntiemel
missed a word

[VCRTracking]

A few months ago the Blank Check Podcast did a series of episodes on James L. Brooks's films including one on Spanglish:

Quote

Richard Lawson (author of All We Can Do Is Wait) returns to discuss 2004’s Spanglish. But is this movie really about James L. Brooks attempting to justify why he wants to sleep with his maid? Is it believable a character has never seen a man cry? Is this film available on blu-ray and will it’s value increase over time like bitcoins? Together they examine Adam Sandler’s career, Téa Leoni’s VERY big performance, using monologues from Spanglish for auditioning and birthdays at a themed restaurant called Mars 2112.

It's 2 hours but very funny and definitely worth a listen.