SpanglishMovie Reviews

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 48 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 Iffy for 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 88
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    A rich blend of humor and heartbreak. Read full review

  • 88
    USA Today | Mike Clark

    The one movie families search for every Christmas for an outing, the way "Something's Gotta Give" was last year and "Jerry Maguire" was in 1996. Read full review

  • 80
    The Hollywood Reporter | Kirk Honeycutt

    Brooks is solidly in charge of this feel-good fairy tale as he gets terrific performances from everyone including two super-talented child actors. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    The movie is not quite the sitcom the setup seems to suggest; there are some character quirks that make it intriguing. Read full review

  • 60
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Frustrating though it can be, Spanglish still proves to be as resilient as its characters. Read full review

  • 50
    San Francisco Chronicle | Carla Meyer

    Leoni is a very attractive woman, and she should be credited for giving a brave performance, but her character starts to produce involuntary shudders when she appears onscreen. Read full review

  • 40
    Variety | Todd McCarthy

    Short on real drama and incident and long on tedium. Read full review

  • 40
    The New York Times | Dana Stevens

    Mr. Sandler has a solid, fumbling likability, without which Spanglish would be not merely annoying but despicable in its slick complacency. Read full review

  • 30
    Washington Post | Stephen Hunter

    So rancid is Brooks's fury that it's clouded his judgment, so that each of his main characters is a stereotype of the most broad-brush, malodorous nature. Read full review

  • 25
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    This is a deeply unpleasant movie masquerading as a heartfelt social commentary on life in these United States. Read full review

View more reviews for Spanglish on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 13+ Mixed messages wrapped in stale stereotypes.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this movie contains a mess of mixed messages all neatly wrapped in stereotypes. There is an unfeeling scene of simulated sex, adultery, cruel mother/daughter behavior, drinking, drinking, drinking, and lots of salty language and gestures.
  • Families can talk about classism and sexism. They might ask their kids what the filmmakers were trying to say about marriage, mother/daughter relationships, and cultural identity.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Not an issue
  • sex false3 Sex: Simulated intercourse, crass sexual humor.
  • language false3 Language: Sexual gestures, disrespectful, not tea party talk for sure ("f--k," "s--t").
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false5 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Put it this way: Grandma's a lovable drunk.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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