Change Your Image
sleepyinnyc
Reviews
Our Brand Is Crisis (2005)
Patronizing and clueless
Want a reminder of why so many people around the world think Americans are clueless, ignorant and narrow-minded? Go see "Our Brand is Crisis." Rachel Boynton seems shocked that Bolivians use modern campaign techniques: polls, focus groups, etc. Who would have thought, huh? I have news for Boynton: they also have highways, email, television and movie theaters. Yes, I know it must come as a shock to you.
The whole tone of the film is so patronizing (poor little people being helped by big-shot Americans) I cringed most of the time. At the movie theater where I saw this film there were many South Americans and once the lights went on, I could see them rolling their eyes and hear their comments: shallow, patronizing, clueless. I could not have agreed more.
Spanglish (2004)
Lovely
I must confess that I rolled my eyes when I saw the trailer for Spanglish. I thought - great, yet another picture where the Latin girl is an uneducated maid or nanny. But after reading several positive reviews I was curious enough to see it and I'm very glad I did.
This is a warm and lovely movie. The characters played by Paz Vega and Adam Sandler are good, well-meaning people who are trying to do their best, for themselves and their children, and who find an unexpected connection despite their different backgrounds and even an initial language barrier. There is nothing stereotypical here and even though I've never been an Adam Sandler fan, I have to say he's great here.
Everything and everyone in this movie feels real, but I guess that's not surprising considering it was directed by James L. Brooks, who gave us Terms of Endearment and As Good As It Gets. I can't wait to see his next movie!