Steven Spielberg is without a doubt one of the most influential filmmakers of all time and has inspired myself along with countless other young film lovers to grow a passion for the art of movies. Last night, I had the pleasure of attending an early screening of his newest film, The Fabelmans, at the Miami Jewish Film Festival with Steven’s sister Nancy Spielberg in attendance. I will admit, Steven’s more recent work has been rather hit or miss for me, with Ready Player One being a new favorite of mine and last year’s West Side Story remake falling flat. With The Fabelmans, Spielberg tells what is a touching memoir of his early life, very much through his eyes, showing the ups and downs his dysfunctional family endured as well as his almost instant love of filmmaking. Gabriel LaBelle plays Sammy Fabelman (Steven) and the young actor gives a spirited performance as a young aspiring filmmaker who feels pretty alienated by his classmates and even his family. The way that Sammy envisions almost every single conflict or traumatic confrontation in his life as a movie is something a good amount of young filmmakers can relate to. Paul Dano plays Sammy’s father Burt with such warmth and does an excellent job showing a practical and pessimistic approach to his son’s newfound hobby. Michelle Williams is the standout, playing Sammy’s mother Mitzi who encourages her son’s hobby despite the fact that her marriage is in dire jeopardy due to certain decisions. Seth Rogen as Burt’s best friend Benny might not be the most wow inducing performance, but I will say that Rogen did impress me with his more dramatic moments here. Sammy’s experiences dealing with antisemitic bullies in a California high school completely devoid of any other Jews was surprisingly well handled, and made for quite a few hilarious and satisfying altercations. The film is bogged down by an overlong 151 minute runtime and the structure could’ve used some tightening up in the editing process. There are also some instances of exaggerated Jewish stereotypes in a cartoonish manner that may or may not take some out of the film. It’s never overly self indulgent and Spielberg approached some of the tougher topics with a decent amount of humility and self reflection. While The Fabelmans isn’t quite up there with Spielberg’s greatest hits for me, it’s a highly endearing love letter both to the art of film and movie lovers alike, as it poignantly looks at the coming of age of one of the most celebrated filmmakers in cinematic history. 🎞🎥
Q&A with Nancy Spielberg
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