Spanglish

"Every family has a hero."

2004 2h 10m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 1,427

DramaComedyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Mexican immigrant and single mother Flor Moreno finds housekeeping work with Deborah and John Clasky, a well-off couple with two children of their own. When Flor admits she can't handle the schedule because of her daughter, Cristina, Deborah decides they should move into the Clasky home. Cultures clash and tensions run high as Flor and the Claskys struggle to share space while raising their children on their own, and very different, terms.

“Every family has a hero.”

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Cast

Adam Sandler
John Clasky
Téa Leoni
Deborah Clasky
Paz Vega
Flor Moreno
Cloris Leachman
Evelyn Wright
Shelbie Bruce
Christina
Sarah Steele
Bernice
Ian Hyland
Georgie
Victoria Luna
Cristina (6 Years Old)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: James L. Brooks
Writers: James L. Brooks, Mark Moretti
Languages: Spanish, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 69% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 22 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

204+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by James L. Brooks, shot by John Seale. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Marks shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

James L. Brooks directs. John Seale behind the camera. Hans Zimmer scores. Richard Marks cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Spanish, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $80M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 69% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 22 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Spanish, English.
5204+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by James L. Brooks, shot by John Seale. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Richard Marks shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Adam Sandler and Téa Leoni and Paz Vega carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Every family has a hero.".
11IMDB entry: tt0371246 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 22 themes, including "immigrant", "class society", "mother", "husband wife relationship".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Seale
Original score: Hans Zimmer
Editing: Richard Marks
Production design: Ida Random
Costume design: Louise Mingenbach
Makeup / hair: Jamie Leigh DeVilla
VFX supervisor: Gray Marshall
Sound: Greg P. Russell
Stunt coordinator: Alex Daniels
Runtime: 130 min · 2h 10m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $80,000,000
Box office: $55,470,154
Return: 69% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Spanglish (2004)

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James L. Brooks

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Community reviews

What people are saying

markuspm2013-12-23
The overview says "A woman and her daughter emigrate from Mexico for a better life in America, where they start working for a family where the patriarch is a newly celebrated chef with an insecure wife." OMG this so does not catch what this movie is all about! What a boring description for such a passionate movie!
Narate2025-01-01
★ 7/10
"There are some mistakes you cannot risk when you have children." It is more normal for Sandler to do down-to-earth dramas now but at the time I remember this being out of nowhere. As an adult I appreciate it much more now and the final message of the movie too. Wish it would've ended slightly different, but still a good movie.

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