A Review of “The Fabelmans (2022)”

The Fabelmans is a semi-autobiographical based on Steven Spielberg. Funny enough it is also directed by Steven Spielberg. I haven’t ever seen a biopic story that is also directed by the person the story is about. That interested me a lot but knowing it was about the legendary director Steven Spielberg is what made me want to watch it. Is the movie an overly self-indulgent semi-biopic, or does Steven continue to show why he is such a great director?

The film is such an interesting piece as the characters themselves are fictional but based on real people. For example, the character that is meant to represent Spielberg is named Samuel “Sammy” Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle). What I appreciate is that Steven doesn’t shy away from the flaws of the character representing him. Sammy is very passionate about filmmaking but he loves it so much that he puts it above his own family. His conflict is trying to pursue his passion while his family is tearing apart. On that note, there is a complex family dynamic with the clash of the logical but stern yet loving Dad (Paul Dano) and the artistic but selfish yet encouraging Mother (Michelle Williams). Sammy inherits both qualities from his parents but also some of their worse. Seeing the struggle of chasing a dream and their isolation is such an engaging theme. None of the characters is terrible people. They do wrong things but there is a lot more nuance to them. The story is incredibly warm, funny, gut-wrenching and powerful.

The performance here is terrific and worthy of an Oscar. Michelle Williams gives an unforgettable performance as the mother, Mitzi. She shows how caring yet weird of a mother she is but shows how she is gradually getting more and more broken as the movie progresses. She could have easily made her character incredibly hatable but her performance succeeds in making the audience sympathize with her despite her being the main cause of the rift in the family. Paul Dano is also terrific as the dad, Burt. His performance is less eccentric and more subtle but he perfectly conveys the internal struggle of the character. Gabriel LaBelle plays Sammy and he is great. His character is sort of arrogant and Gabriel manages to convey that without being overly pompous and annoying.  LaBelle is terrific at communicating a young kid whose emotions are on the verge of exploding. He is a very promising young actor. In terms of supporting actors, Judd Hirsch appears for only two scenes yet he gives such a strong performance that takes over the scene. David Lynch also appears in just one scene but his scene might be the most memorable moment in the film.

The music is composed by legendary composer John Williams and he continues to do a great job. Although, the score here isn’t his most memorable. The cinematography is done by Janusz Kaminski of Schindler’s List fame and he continues to be great here. There are tons of great and memorable shots that capture the essence of filmmaking in The Fabelmans. There is an amazing shot that has Sammy using his hands as a screen with a projector aimed at his palm which is stunning. If I had any issue with the film then it has to be the 2nd act with Sammy in high school. Scenes concerning Sammy’s romance and his bullying are a little uninteresting compared to everything else. It doesn’t help that his girlfriend feels very over the top and the bullies act like all the generic jocks you have seen over a dozen times. Fortunately, the high school stuff have a strong landing.

Overall, Steven Spielberg continues to show that he is still one of the best directors out there. Despite the film being a semi-biographic on him, he doesn’t shy away from the flaws of him and his parents. He shows the struggle of chasing your passion which might resonate with a lot of people. If Spielberg decided this was his last film then this would’ve been a great final outing. However, from this film alone, I know he loves making films and he won’t stop here. I can’t wait to see his next work.