"Just try it on"

Image courtesy of Rbird.com

The 2004 movie Spanglish, directed by James L. Brooks tells the story of two very different parents trying to keep insanity within their families. The star-studded cast includes Adam Sandler, Paz Vega, Tea Leoni, and Cloris Leachman. The Clasky's include father John, mother Deborah, grandmother Evelyn, daughter Bernice, and son Georgie. The Clasky's are a wealthy family living an upscale life in Los Angeles while Flor lives with her daughter in what would be considered East LA. Flor is a single mother who recently emmigrated to the US from Mexico and Christina is her daughter and also the narrator of the movie.

"Just try it on!"
Image courtesy of Imdb.com

In the first thirty minutes of the film, we get to know Flor and the Clasky family. Flor is a single mother who recently emmigrated to the US from Mexico. The Clasky's hire Flor as their maid even though Flor does not speak a single word of English. Flor does not tell the family that she has a daughter. As Flor begins to work for the Clasky's, she notices the family's troubles especially in the scene when Deborah gives clothes to Bernice in what would be considered the first min-climax of the movie. Deborah gives her slightly heavy daughter Bernice clothes that are a size too small for her. Deborah's intensions are to motivate Bernice to lose weight but Bernice and John see it differently. Bernice leaves the room in tears and John gets upset at his wife for adding more stress to Bernice. Flor sees the opportunity to take the clothes Deborah gave Bernice and alters them to fit Bernice. The first act of the movie ends when Flor tells Bernice to "just try it on" and has officially pried with the Clasky family. 

Flor and John arguing
Image courtesy of Ew.com

In the second act, the Clasky family decide to live in their Malibu beach house for the summer and invite Flor to stay with them. Flor however, declines the offer because of her daughter Christina. She does not want to uproot Christina but Deborah insists that Flor and Christina stay with the Clasky's and with that, Flor agrees. The complication occurs during the summer at the beach house and the events that happen there such as rock hunting, hair dyeing, and the arguments Flor has between both Deborah and John are all events that lead up to the climax of the movie: the night Deborah finally tells John about her infidelity and Flor finally deciding to quit as the Clasky's maid.

Finally, the last act begins in John's restaurant where him and Flor have what she considers "the conversation of her life." The two of them discuss life while Deborah waits at home for John to come home. John finally comes home and in the morning Flor returns to the Clasky household for two reasons: to pick up Christina and quit. As Flor and Christina walk to the bus stop, the movie finally resolves when Flor asks Christina in the last five minutes: "Is what you want in life, to be something completely different than me?" and the movie ends with mother and daughter riding the bus hugging each other.