Review: The Fabelmans (2022)

The Fabelmans

Rating

Director

Steven Spielberg

Screenplay

Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner

Length

2h 31m

Starring

Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Mateo Zoryan, Keeley Karsten, Alina Brace, Julia Butters, Bridie Borria, Judd Hirsch, Sophia Kopera, Jeannie Berlin, Robin Bartlett, Sam Rechner, Oakes Fegley, Chloe East, Isabelle Kusman

MPAA Rating

PG-13

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Review

Steven Spielberg has always been the classic film nerd, a kid who loved movies who grew up to become a filmmaker. The Fabelmans is a semi-autobiographical picture about just such a kid. He’s the second director to recently do a semi-autobiographical picture following Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast. Neither film has much in common except showcasing the times they grew up in. Branagh’s youth was dominated by The Troubles while Spielberg’s high school years faced virulent antisemitism.

Gabriel LaBelle plays Sam Fabelman (played by Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord during the early scenes) who is transfixed by the train crash scene in The Greatest Show on Earth and while he enjoys watching the model trains he receives across the 8 days of Hanukkah, it’s when his mother (Michelle Williams) encourages him to capture the crash with his dad Burt’s (Paul Dano) rudimentary film camera and relive it that he becomes enamored with the craft of filmmaking. His Boy Scout and high school years are punctuated with little movies he makes about the events that happen therein, including a World War II feature, a camping trip document, and coverage of the school-sanctioned skip day event.

LaBelle is a terrific young actor bringing us into Sam’s life and embodying the young Spielberg simulacrum as he discovers his passion, but also unearths some unquiet truths about his family. While it’s not clear just how much of this is autobiographical and how much is fiction, it blends together effectively, breezing past for much of its 2.5-hour runtime. Williams is transcendent as his mother Mitzi, but her supporting performance has been improperly elevated to lead status. Dano does fine work in support as do Seth Rogen, Judd Hirsch, and Julia Butters. Robin Bartlett is given too little screen time as Mitzi’s mother while Jeannie Berlin is given plenty in a solid performance as Burt’s mother. Perhaps the most inspired casting choice in the film comes in the film’s final scene, one that not everyone will expect going in and will remain spoiler free now. Suffice it to say, it’s a terrific moment that succinctly conveys the film’s theme even if nothing else is taken from it.

Mother Schildkraut’s (Bartlett) identity is murky in her first scenes during Sam’s childhood. She briefly encourages his fascination with the trains while mother Fabelman (Berlin) seems dismissive. These attitudes are paralleled in Sam’s parents, Burt (Dano) and Mitzi. When Mrs. Schildkraut shows up later, her identity fleshes itself out, but all too briefly before she’s gone again. This failure to develop the relationship between mother and daughter and mother and son weaken an otherwise solid script and that’s part of the biggest issue with the film. While the scenes move freely, the narrative is sometimes disjointed. Those scenes with Bartlett are there and gone in an instant, other moments linger. While most of the lengthier scenes don’t overstay their welcome, there’s a richness and depth of the story that feels glossed over when foundational elements are minimized.

Spielberg’s attention to detail and his cleverness at foreshadowing, are in fine form with The Fabelmans. The flawed relationship between Burt and Mitzi and other outside factors become clear to the audience long before their obviousness reaches Sam, but it adds weight to his discovery. Those intimate moments help elevate the film beyond a mere recitation of history. While his handling of child actors has been questionable in the past (Henry Thomas in E.T. or the kids in Jurassic Park), his work with them in this film is terrific. LaBelle, Butters, and several other young characters with whom Sam interacts are as natural and compelling as those of their adult counterparts and sometimes even better than them all.

The Fabelmans is a testament to the thrill of moviemaking and the excitement cinema brings to countless audiences. In spite of its handful of faults, the film never fails to endear itself to the viewer and while there are some moments that ring just a shade false, there’s no question that Spielberg is still working at the top of his game all these 50 years later.

Oscar Prospects

Guarantees: Picture, Original Screenplay, Original Score, Film Editing, Cinematography
Probables: Directing, Actress/Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams)
Potentials: Actor (Gabriel LaBelle), Supporting Actor (Paul Dano, Judd Hirsch), Production Design, Costume Design, Sound