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Spanglish poster

Movies that feel likeSpanglish (2004)

Mexican immigrant and single mother Flor Moreno finds housekeeping work with Deborah and John Clasky, a well-off couple with two children of their own. When Flor admits she can't handle the schedule because of her daughter, Cristina, Deborah decides they should move into the Clasky home. Cultures clash and tensions run high as Flor and the Claskys struggle to share space while raising their children on their own, and very different, terms.

If you loved Spanglish, the closest films we have are As Good as It Gets (1997), Let the Sunshine In (2017) and Take This Waltz (2011). All three share Spanglish's contemplative and witty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Late Marriage (2001).

🍅 54% Rotten Tomatoes★ 6.4 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. James L. Brookscontemplativewittyplayfulromantictender
9 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Hulu

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If Spanglish hit the spot, these will too

As Good as It Gets poster
As Good as It Gets
1997 · dir. James L. Brooks
🍅 86%★ 7.7drama · comedy · romance

Both are James L. Brooks's work, and they rhyme

The difference: Critics rated this one higher still

A misanthropic author, a single mother and waitress, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.

Let the Sunshine In poster
Let the Sunshine In
2017 · dir. Claire Denis
🍅 87%★ 6comedy · drama · romance

Both are built on the same subject: mother

Isabelle, Parisian artist, divorced mother, is looking for love, true love, at last.

Take This Waltz poster
Take This Waltz
2011 · dir. Sarah Polley
🍅 79%★ 6.5drama · comedy · romanceNetflix

The same mix in both: stillness, then wit

Twenty-eight-year-old Margot is happily married to Lou, a good-natured cookbook author. But when Margot meets Daniel, a handsome artist who lives across the street, their mutual attraction is undeniable.

Strictly Ballroom poster
Strictly Ballroom
1992 · dir. Baz Luhrmann
★ 7.2comedy · drama · romancePrime Video

The same preoccupation in both: parents and children

Brave new steps put Scott's career in jeopardy. With a new partner and determination, can he still succeed?

I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK poster
I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
2006 · dir. Park Chan-wook
🍅 92%★ 6.9drama · comedy · romance

Playful where it counts, romantic underneath

Young-goon, mentally deranged and frequently electro-charging herself with a transistor radio, has been admitted into a mental institution. Firmly believing herself to be a cyborg, she refuses to consume like a human being. Il-soon is another patient, who catches the eye of Young-goon and soon becomes a close friend. Il-soon is now confronted with the biggest task: to cure Young-goon's mental problem and have her eat real food.

Late Marriage poster
Late Marriage
2001 · dir. Dover Koshashvili
🍅 88%★ 7.1comedy · drama · romanceRent or buy

Both lean on tenderness more than on drama

Zaza is a 31-year old Israeli bachelor, handsome and intelligent, and his family wants to see him married. But tradition dictates that Zaza has to choose a young virgin. She must be beautiful and from a good family, preferably rich. Zaza's parents, Yasha and Lily drag Zaza to meet potential brides and their families. Zaza has no choice. He plays along with his family, advocates of the suffocating traditions of their Georgian Jewish heritage. But Zaza always manages to somehow get out of being engaged. What his parents don't know is that Zaza is already in love. Judith is sensuous, strong and intriguing. She's also a divorcée with a 6-year-old daughter. So Zaza has kept Judith a secret from his family. He will have to choose between respect of the strict confines of family and tradition, or the love of his life.

The Family Stone poster
The Family Stone
2005 · dir. Thomas Bezucha
🍅 52%★ 6.3comedy · drama · romancePrime Video

Comedy built on stillness, twice over

An uptight, conservative businesswoman accompanies her boyfriend to his eccentric and outgoing family's annual Christmas celebration and finds that she's a fish out of water in their free-spirited way of life.

Away We Go poster
Away We Go
2009 · dir. Sam Mendes
🍅 67%★ 7drama · comedy · romance

Witty romance, and it commits to that

Verona and Burt have moved to Colorado to be close to Burt's parents but, with Verona expecting their first child, Burt's parents inexplicably decide to move to Belgium, now leaving them in a place they hate and without a support structure in place. They set off on a whirlwind tour of of disparate locations where they have friends or relatives, sampling not only different cities and climates but also different families. Along the way they realize that the journey is less about discovering where they want to live and more about figuring out what type of parents they want to be.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi poster
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
2008 · dir. Aditya Chopra
🍅 78%★ 7.2comedy · drama · romanceNetflix

Drama with a pulse of play, in both cases

A boring, reserved husband secretly becomes a lively, confident stranger to woo his own unaware wife only to make her fall head over heels for his dashing alter ego.

Home for the Holidays poster
Home for the Holidays
1995 · dir. Jodie Foster
🍅 63%★ 6.6comedy · drama · romance

Romantic comedy in both cases

After losing her job, making out with her soon-to-be former boss, and finding out that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson faces spending the holiday with her unhinged family.

Kal Ho Naa Ho poster
Kal Ho Naa Ho
2003 · dir. Nikkhil Advani
🍅 75%★ 7.9comedy · drama · romanceNetflixPrime Video

Tender romance, and it commits to that

An uptight MBA student falls for the charismatic new neighbor who charms her troubled family – but he has a secret that forces him to push her away.

Drinking Buddies poster
Drinking Buddies
2013 · dir. Joe Swanberg
🍅 84%★ 6.1romance · drama · comedyNetflixPrime Video

Drama built on stillness, twice over

Weekend trips, office parties, late night conversations, drinking on the job, marriage pressure, biological clocks, holding eye contact a second too long… you know what makes the line between “friends” and “more than friends” really blurry? Beer.

In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed films that share Spanglish’s defining feeling.