Film Preview: The Fabelmans (2022)

Film Poster

Page Revisions:

(September 18, 2022) Original
(November 6, 2022) New Poster (#2) — New Release Date (changed from 11.23.2022)
(December 18, 2022) New Trailer (#2) — New Poster (#3)

Release Date:

November 11, 2022

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, a young man named Sammy Fabelman discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.”

Poster Rating: B / B / B

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Review: (#1) It has a certain visual charm, but it’s also about as simplistic as you can possibly get, even thematically.

(#2) The design is very similar to the predecessor, but feels a bit more polished and doesn’t seem as derivative.

(#3) It’s not much different from the prior designs and evokes the same kind of spirit, which isn’t terribly revealing.

Trailer Rating: B / C

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Review: (#1) You can always expect a lot of emotional heft in a Steven Spielberg film and the barest hint of that is present, but it seems to present the whole film to the audience without a desire to increase their interest over time. It lays it all out there and that might not be enough to sell it.

(#2) The backing track feels utterly out of place and sets the wrong tone for this 60s/70s-set semi-autobiographical film, though director Spielberg is there to assure the audience of its purpose. It all feels far more heavy handed and put-offish than it should.

Oscar Prospects:

This should be one of the major Oscar players. With a Toronto win for the audience award, a Best Picture nomination is all but guaranteed. This is a movie about moviemaking from a wunderkind director that never lost his mojo, so it should be a key competitor, especially for Michelle Williams.