48
Metascore
37 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversA rich blend of humor and heartbreak.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttBrooks is solidly in charge of this feel-good fairy tale as he gets terrific performances from everyone including two super-talented child actors.
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames Berardinellitrong on characters and relationships, but weak on some of the details that would elevate it from merely "good" to "great."
- 70The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasThough Brooks has a broad, crowd-pleasing sensibility, he knows how to appeal to the masses without insulting anyone's intelligence, and that's a rare gift these days.
- 60NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenSpanglish feels hemmed in, visually monotonous. There are signs that a lot has been cut, and in trimming his film Brooks may have squeezed too tight: his movie needs breathing space.
- 40VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyShort on real drama and incident and long on tedium.
- 40Village VoiceDennis LimVillage VoiceDennis LimThe beauty of Sandler's performance -- a superbly modulated suite of crestfallen groans and grimaces -- is he often seems to be reacting not just to his crazy wife but also to the dismal movie he's stuck in.
- 40Dallas ObserverRobert WilonskyDallas ObserverRobert WilonskyNever quite works, despite the wonderful performances or the decency in the screenplay's margins.
- 25Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumThis is a deeply unpleasant movie masquerading as a heartfelt social commentary on life in these United States.
- 20L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasSpanglish is Brooks' unqualified kitchen disaster - a desperate, shapeless, overreaching big-screen sitcom of a movie that just wants to be loved. Is that so wrong? In a word, yes.