James L. Brooks (“Terms of Endearment,” “Broadcast News”) hasn’t had a huge hit since his 1997 “As Good As It Gets,” so he’s aiming for the outfield with this film, which has interesting characters and very droll dialogue, something Brooks excels at.  “Wow,” says the clueless Deborah to Flor, about her beauty.  “You could make a fortune in surrogate pregnancy!”  Later, John says, “I don’t know if you know guilt, but…” to which Christina replies, “We know.  We’re Catholics.”  Perhaps the most insightful of his lines – and no doubt the lynchpin of this film – is when Deborah’s mother says to Flor, “I lived my life for myself.  You live your life for your daughter.  None of it works.”

His two main characters could be better.  Clearly, Brooks wants to show us that Sandler is more than a sitcom comic, and to a certain extent, it works.  I actually spotted a few endearing qualities, and very good acting at times, although Sandler is the most uneven performer in the cast.  When John interacts with Bernice, he hits perfect notes.  But when he learns of his wife’s affair, he seems lost.  To be fair, Sandler is hampered by a very one-dimensional character – the perpetual Mr. Nice Guy – despite Flor’s witty observation that “he seemed to have the emotions of a Mexican woman.”

Also, I buy Deborah’s dysfunction, but I don’t see any resolution.  “You were an alcoholic and a wildly promiscuous woman during my formative years,” she says to her mother.  “I’m in this fix because of you!” to which the prosaic Evelyn replies, “You have a solid point, dear.  And now those lessons are coming in handy for you, aren’t they?”  Unfortunately, it does not appear that they do.  Deborah comes to a reckoning and breaks up with her lover, but that choice appears to be more out of selfishness (her defining trait) than true repentance.  And again, it is John’s near perfection that saves the day.  One can’t help but wonder how much Brooks was influenced by his recent divorce.

His other characters, however, are insightfully drawn. Newcomer (to the U.S.) Vega is pitch-perfect in every way, and her beauty is highlighted by close-ups and flattering key lights.  As a dirt-poor, super-fit, non-English-speaking, Mexican maid who wears the same sweater as wealthy Deborah, she is totally improbable, but just as likeable.  So we play along, because Vega is so good.  This film is hers, 100 percent, and she deserves every ounce of celebrity that is hurtling her way.  On the other hand, it’s hard to ignore the stereotyping that Brooks engages in through Flor, who interacts and socializes with the Clansksys like a family member and does hardly any work.  It’s a happy-clappy portrait that feels just like what it is – a nice story, written by a multi-millionaire, who hasn’t the first clue about what it really means to be an illegal immigrant that cleans toilets for a living in Beverly Hills.