The wonder and magic of movies, and the angst of growing up, are at the core of filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s very personal film The Fabelmans. Set in the 1950s and 60s, the movie is a semi-autobiographical account of Spielberg’s youth, growing up in a Jewish family and finding his passion for making movies.
The Fabelmans opens with Burt Fabelman (Paul Dano) and his wife, Mitzi (Michelle Williams) standing in line with their eight-year-old son Sammy (Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord) at a theater to take in a screening of The Greatest Show on Earth. There’s a spectacular train crash near the end of the film shot using miniatures, and young Sammy becomes instantly fascinated by it.
Desperate to understand how the filmmakers accomplished the captivating scene, Sammy asks his parents for a train set for Hanukkah. Sammy crashes the toy train in a similar fashion, upsetting his dad who doesn’t understand why his son would ruin a brand-new toy.
On the other hand, Mitzi makes the connection between the train crash in the film and Sammy’s attempt to use his toy train to recreate it. The artistically-minded Mitzi suggests to Sammy that he use his father’s camera to film crashing his trains. That way, he can watch it over and over again instead of ruining the trains with multiple crashes. She also warns Sammy that they should keep what he’s up to a secret, worried that Burt wouldn’t understand.
When Mitzi watches the footage Sammy shot, she realizes from the multiple angles and use of light that Sammy has a gift for filmmaking.
The family moves from New Jersey to Arizona when Burt, who’s a brilliant engineer, gets a better-paying job. Sammy, now a teenager (and now played by Gabriel LaBelle), spends all of his free time making films with the help of his scout group, something his mother encourages but his father views as just a fun but time-consuming hobby.
Sammy’s dedication to filming everything ultimately leads to a pivotal change in the dynamic between him and his mom. While editing the video he shot during the family’s camping trip, he notices he captured some very private moments between Mitzi and Burt’s best friend and co-worker Bennie Loewy (Seth Rogen). Mitzi and Bennie appear to be more than just friends, and Sammy’s discovery of this secret relationship opens a deep rift between him and Mitzi – even though Mitzi’s oblivious to what caused them to drift apart.
When Burt moves the family to Northern California for yet another job, it takes a huge toll on the family. Mitzi sinks into a deep depression because she no longer has Bennie around to cheer her up. Sammy’s also having a difficult time adjusting to this new city and becomes the target of anti-Semitic jocks. But on the bright side, Sammy meets Monica (Chloe East), a devoted Christian who becomes determined to open his heart to Jesus and, in the process, becomes his new girlfriend.
Written and directed by Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans is a moving coming-of-age story as well as a love letter to cinema. It shows how filmmaking isn’t just an art form but can also provide an escape from reality.
Michelle Williams delivers a wonderful performance as Mitzi, Sammy’s free-spirited, piano-playing artistic mother who put her career on hold to have a family that she adores. Williams does a masterful job of portraying both Mitzi’s highs and lows throughout the film. The scene where she watches Sammy’s secret special edit of the camping trip footage and witnesses herself obviously in love with Burt’s best friend is tragic and heartfelt. It’s a performance worthy of an Oscar nomination.
Newcomer Gabriel LaBelle is a true find and plays Sammy (the young Steven Spielberg) as an earnest teenager with a true fascination with movies and a deep love for his parents. He has solid chemistry with both Williams and Dano and flawlessly captures the pain a teenager feels during a major family crisis and the need to escape from it.
Paul Dano delivers an authentic but understated performance as Burt, the patriarch of the family who’s torn between the great love he feels for Mitzi and his children and his drive to be a brilliant engineer. His choice to put his own career goals ahead of the family and his decision to turn a blind eye to the blossoming romance between Mitzi and Bennie contributes to tearing the family apart.
Award-winning composer John Williams once again raises a Spielberg film to an even higher level with his fantastic musical score that infuses the movie with even more heart and soul.
With superb performances by the cast, magnificent direction by Spielberg, and a moving score, The Fabelmans is a sweet, nostalgic, and engaging experience.
GRADE: B+
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some strong language, drug use, brief violence, and thematic elements
Running Time: 2 hours 31 minutes
Release Date: November 23, 2022
Studio: Universal Pictures
