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Spanglish

So, I was casting about Netflix searching for something interesting. I came across an Adam Sandler flick called "Spanglish" and thought I would give it a try. Thing is, I liked some of Sandler's early stuff - Happy Gilmore, for example, was silly and fun - but some of his later stuff has been too raunchy and not worth it. I did like Anger Management, and 50 First Dates was cute (if a little sappy). So I wasn't sure what to expect.

Whatever it was, it was not what I got.

I found myself weeping for almost the entire movie. Now, to be sure, I am prone to crying during movies. And commercials. And songs on the radio. And greeting cards. I know. I'm a bit overemotional. I get it.

But this...

I don't know. Something about Sandler's portrayal really struck a chord with me. It was like I was watching my own life, and it wasn't all rosy.

Like the scene where the mom (played by a beautiful Tea Leoni) buys a bunch of new clothes for her daughter, but they're all a size or two too small for her body, saying that they're clothes she'd have to work to fit into. You could almost see the young woman's spirit literally being crushed...

Or the SUPER AWKWARD sex scene (PG-13, btw) which is fully clothed and almost painful to watch. Actually, it was painful to watch. The thing is that this incredibly selfish and self-centered woman is only interested in him because he'd won some accolades for his restaurant. It was about her and her gratification, and it was just painful for him...

Or the scene where the narration talks about how confused the housekeeper (played by an amazing Paz Vega) seems when he doesn't stand up to his wife, how he's overly and overtly emotional (which I can obviously relate to), and how that doesn't jive with anything she's ever seen or believed could be in a man...

It was surprising and wonderful. I know it's just a movie, but sometimes it just speaks to you...

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