I had moderately high expectations for this movie. I am Spanish, and since Paz Vega has rapidly become in the last few years one of my country's most popular actresses, I couldn't help but wish that her jump to Hollywood would be successful. Also, the name of James L. Brooks suggested quality. This is a man who doesn't make films often, his fame being grounded mostly on his TV shows, so when he does, one tends to believe it's because he really has something to say.
Sadly, the result of my expectation has been crushing disappointment, for this film fails at so many levels that I couldn't find anything to keep me interested. Brooks's direction, for example, seemed to me amazingly clumsy and lacking in rhythm. Often you had the impression that the camera lingered too long on the actors, and they didn't know what to say, what to do or even where to stand. Sandler, again surprisingly, was the only one to exercise restraint in his performance, in between Leoni's and Vega's terrible overacting; both of them exaggerated their gestures so much you would think they were in a children's play by adults (Actually, it seemed to me the children in the movie were acting much better than them, especially Steele, who plays Sandler's daughter with disarming charm). Then again, good acting is not easy to achieve with a script this terrible: The dialog felt sometimes so fake that you could see them make efforts to sound half believable; the characters were hardly developed or made almost cartoonish (Deb, Tea Leoni's psychotic bundle of nerves of a wife would be the prime example); the situations often didn't make sense (Flor's attitude of fear and disdain towards Deb is completely beyond reason, even to the point of bigotry. Deb may be a neurotic, but Flor has good reason to be very grateful to her); subplots branched out in several directions but never really went anywhere; and the big plot, the development of the romantic spark between the protagonists, felt rushed and unrealistic and I simply could not believe a word of it. I just managed to bear the movie as it got worse and worse and was thankful when it ended, which is when I realized that it didn't just feel long to me; it's also that the thing is way too long!
Thumbs down to Brooks then, and better luck to Paz next time, I hope this mistake doesn't stop her rise to stardom.
Sadly, the result of my expectation has been crushing disappointment, for this film fails at so many levels that I couldn't find anything to keep me interested. Brooks's direction, for example, seemed to me amazingly clumsy and lacking in rhythm. Often you had the impression that the camera lingered too long on the actors, and they didn't know what to say, what to do or even where to stand. Sandler, again surprisingly, was the only one to exercise restraint in his performance, in between Leoni's and Vega's terrible overacting; both of them exaggerated their gestures so much you would think they were in a children's play by adults (Actually, it seemed to me the children in the movie were acting much better than them, especially Steele, who plays Sandler's daughter with disarming charm). Then again, good acting is not easy to achieve with a script this terrible: The dialog felt sometimes so fake that you could see them make efforts to sound half believable; the characters were hardly developed or made almost cartoonish (Deb, Tea Leoni's psychotic bundle of nerves of a wife would be the prime example); the situations often didn't make sense (Flor's attitude of fear and disdain towards Deb is completely beyond reason, even to the point of bigotry. Deb may be a neurotic, but Flor has good reason to be very grateful to her); subplots branched out in several directions but never really went anywhere; and the big plot, the development of the romantic spark between the protagonists, felt rushed and unrealistic and I simply could not believe a word of it. I just managed to bear the movie as it got worse and worse and was thankful when it ended, which is when I realized that it didn't just feel long to me; it's also that the thing is way too long!
Thumbs down to Brooks then, and better luck to Paz next time, I hope this mistake doesn't stop her rise to stardom.