Now in theaters.
[Rating: Minor Rock Fist Up]
I’ve said many times before that my first introduction to Steven Spielberg was watching E.T. during my spring break of 2002. Twenty years later, I still hold him in regards as my favorite living filmmaker whose films, despite any and all flaws, I always like in some regard. Like so many before him, it’s this filmmaker’s turn to tell his childhood story on how he got to where he is today through his latest feature The Fabelmans. This is Spielberg’s so-called love letter to cinema, but more importantly a family drama that is a love letter to his parents, who at the heart of it all influenced him in more ways than he could have possibly made.
In this semi-autobiographical film, Spielberg’s younger alter ego Sammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord) attends his first film in 1952, The Greatest Show on Earth. His parents Burt (Paul Dano) and Mitzi (Michelle Williams) both promise him that this will be an unbelievable spectacle. The young Fabelman is impressionable and asks for a train set of his own in order to crash it, something from that eye-opening circus venture he wants to relive over and over. Mrs. Fabelman, however, lets Sammy film his train so he can watch his own cinematic crash on repeat.
Flash forward to a teenage Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) increasing his motivation to make movies for his family and boy scout troop. He is inspired by the films of John Ford and wants to make movies that move people, but also is given pause as his father only looks at this as a hobby. Those around him, including a family friend “Uncle” Benny (Seth Rogan) and Great Uncle Boris (Judd Hirsch), tell Sammy that he has to follow his dreams to make himself, and more importantly his mother, his biggest champion, happy. Through his constant struggle of what makes an artist, he also has to watch his parents’ marriage hit the rocks constantly, including a scandal that affected the real life Spielberg and his family.
At the heart of this film is family and how family can be the most important thing to inspire your dreams. While Mr. Fabelman lives in a grounded world of computers and practicality, Mrs. Fabelman wants to find the extravagance in life, something that a movie camera would dream to capture. She is the driving force to what makes Sammy want to continue on his journey. As Mitzi Fabelman, Williams gives a performance that is both soulful and heartbreaking. Two scenes in particular, both involving Sammy’s closet theater, showcase that Williams is an actress who can act without uttering a single line of dialogue.
As for the film itself, at this time I don’t think I found the UMPH to want to love it yet. I appreciate and love that Spielberg has ensured he tells us his memories from his family life, but there were only a smattering of moments in this film that truly moved me. The cinematography from Janusz Kamiński also affected my viewing of this, as most of it was washed out. Whether this was a creative choice to reflect the time period (mostly of the 1960s) or not, it didn’t catch up to me in the end. There is however one incredible moment in the end of this film that shows, despite all the drama that Spielberg and writer Tony Kushner provide in the film, we as watchers and dreamers can still have some damn fun!
And for Spielberg fans, through many of his films, the fun and whimsy are found, much like a love letter dedicated especially to his mother.
Christian Ramos is a classic film fan, having had the dream to host Turner Classic Movies for years now. He also has a large amount of Oscar trivia in his head, remembers dressing as Groucho Marx one Halloween, and cherishes the moment Julianne Moore liked his tweet.
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