The Fabelmans

Starring: Michelle Williams, Gabriel LaBelle, Paul Dano, Judd Hirsch, Seth Rogan, Mateo Zoryan, Keeley Kersten, Julia Butters, Robin Bartlett, Oakes Fegley, Logan Hall, Greg Grunberg, David Lynch
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2022

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A young man (Gabriel LaBelle) has a passion to become a filmmaker and uses his love of the movies to navigate a turbulent period in his life.

Review:
Tim: It's getting harder and harder for me not to crown Steven Spielberg as the greatest director of all time. I think when you look at his entire filmography, it's hard to argue with that. And, I'm writing that as the opening lines of a movie that I think is very good, but not great. At this stage of his career, Spielberg decided to make an intensely personal, somewhat autobiographical film about his childhood and his love of movies. I don't know how much of this film is fiction vs. reality, but you can tell that it was a deeply personal experience for Spielberg to make. I think he makes choices here inspired by his life, that perhaps he wouldn't have made if he could approach the subject with a more dispassionate, objective eye. And, yet, despite all this, The Fabelmans is an incredibly strong film- it was nominated for 7 Academy Awards! I still think this is a bit of a more middling effort from him, though. That's how good he is.

First off, the film is simply too long. I know I've made that complaint more and more in recent years, but 2 hours and 31 minutes for this story is overly long. It's a good story with compelling characters, but nothing here warrants that length, outside of Spielberg's own nostalgia. Even still, he manages to hold our attention. There's a few places throughout where the movie drags, but these are limited. Spielberg manages to hold our attention for a long period of time, which is a win in a slow-moving drama like this. The one downside is that this movie is a bit of a lift to watch, which hurts its rewatch value. It would take a lot for me to revisit this film- ever.

The story is interesting, although I get the sense that it's more interesting to Spielberg, to reflect on his life. We see a young boy who falls in love with filmmaking (although I did think his love of movies was downplayed a bit too much in the film) and how that obsession colors his life during a challenging period. There's something fascinating about all this- how our loves can sustain us during difficult, dark days. Spielberg certainly wanted this film to be a love letter to filmmaking- we see so many behind-the-scenes and craft of cinema sequences. Those were incredible to someone who loves movies (maybe less so to the casual moviegoer). I did feel some connection with Sammy and the Fabelmans and I was interested in how their story developed.

The cast all get opportunities to showcase their talent. Michelle Williams continues to be a major force on screen. I never quite feel like I love her work, but I have to genuflect in awe of her abilities. Her performance here is odd, but it's obvious she had a vision in mind for Spielberg's mother. You have to give her credit for bringing this person to life on screen, even though it required some unexpected behaviors from her. As you might expect, Williams was nominated for Best Actress for her great performance. Paul Dano is another somewhat overlooked actor- he is always far better than you'd expect. It was fun seeing him show great restraint in this role, showing that he can play the straight as well as anyone. He doesn't get the chance to go big in the role, but he's consistently excellent. I thought he could have received a nomination, but sadly, did not. Gabriel LaBelle was quite good as Sammy, the stand-in for Steven. I thought his performance hit all the right notes, in what must have been a challenging situation for the young actor. These three work exceptionally well together and are the heart and soul of this film.

I loved seeing Judd Hirsch here. I've always had a soft spot for the actor, so I was delighted to see his strong performance. I have to admit, though, I'm stunned that he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Not that his performance isn't great- but he admittedly does so little in the overall film. He's a blip. Yes, Hirsch is tremendous during his screen time, but he unexpectedly shows up, crushes it, and departs- and his impact on the overall film doesn't linger. I'm happy for Hirsch to get recognized, but this is an especially small supporting role (and I honestly think Dano should have gotten it over him). I also have to praise Seth Rogan, another actor who delivers a superior supporting performance, whose impact on the film is immense. I know certain people will always dismiss Rogan for his earlier comedies, but the guy is a talented actor. I thought he brought great depth and warmth to his performance here. The scene where he gives Sammy the camera is a standout moment, one of the most memorable and powerful scenes in the film, and it's all Rogan working his magic there. No offense to Hirsch, but I thought Rogan was better and more important to the overall film. He could have had that slot. The rest of the supporting cast has fewer big names, but Spielberg leverages them all in effective ways. He's such a master filmmaker.

Speaking of which, I do think it's so impressive that this film was nominated for 7 Academy Awards (albeit telling that it won 0). In addition to the two acting nominations, this film was nominated for Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Production Design. Oh yeah, and Best Picture. Spielberg was nominated in three of those categories. That's impressive.

There's some excellent sequences throughout the film, those scenes that show how good of a director Spielberg is. The war scene filming is a standout. The scene at the high school dance is powerful and memorable. The final main scene, with Sammy and John Ford might be disconnected from the rest of the film, but it's a brilliant reconstruction of a real conversations Spielberg had with the legendary director in his youth. That alone is worth the price of admission, but it ends the film in an unforgettable way.

I have to say, I really did enjoy The Fabelmans. The bar is set so high for Spielberg, so I wouldn't put this movie in the top tier of his films (as of this writing, I believe he's directed 12 great films). But, this is a movie well worth watching. It's an emotional drama that explores life, family dysfunction, and the movies. That is deserving of our time and attention.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Hugo, The Greatest Showman, Manchester by the Sea