Courtesy of Universal Pictures
The Fabelmans was one of my most anticipated films of 2022. A biography about Steven Spielberg directed and written by Steven Spielberg was exciting. Then, the trailer was released and I was even more excited. Seeing a glimpse of what this film was like had me pumped up to watch it. Does it live up to the hype? Let's break down The Fabelmans.
The Fabelmans is about the childhood of Steven Spielberg. He changes his family's name in the film to Fabelman, but the characters in the film are his family. The Fabelmans isn't just a film about Steven Spielberg, it's a touching family drama. Michelle Williams, who plays Spielberg's mother named Mitzi, steals the film. She is a natural born artist who had dreams of being a piano player playing at concert halls. Spielberg's dad, Burt played by Paul Dano, is more of the logical type. He is a computer engineer and doesn't know anything about the arts. Then, there's his Uncle Benny played by Seth Rogen. Uncle Benny is the most hated character in the film and the character that drives the story where it goes. Spielberg also has 3 sisters in the film.
Spielberg changed his name in the film to Sammy. We see Spielberg as a young kid watching his first movie The Greatest Show on Earth. This inspires Sammy to create his first film, a train crashing into a car and buildings. We see him move to Arizona as his dad gets a better job and then move to California as his dads gets even a better job. A young Sammy becomes a teenager and his love for film-making increases. An interesting scene takes place with Mitzi's Uncle Boris and Sammy. They talk about their love for art and Boris thinks Sammy loves film-making more than his family. Sammy denies this but you can see it in his eyes this might be true. It really shows how a passion can be your whole entire life.
The thing I like most about The Fabelmans is that it is a great movie without fancy CGI or explosions or any of that stuff. It's a movie that could have been made 70 years ago. The storytelling in this film is immaculate. If you're a film nerd like myself, you'll love the scenes where Sammy is making his film and cutting the film. That sound is so satisfying. I loved seeing Sammy direct his friends too in his little movies. There's this one scene in particular where he is coaching his friend on how to act for the scene. Just seeing that was awesome because you get a glimpse as to what Spielberg is really like on set with his actors.
I also loved the scenes where Sammy was showing his films to audiences. Being a filmmaker and having the ability to make someone feel emotion from your film has got to be the best feeling in the world. As the film progresses, you can see Sammy getting better and better. The way he's setting up shots and capturing the moments on his camera. The music he chooses for his films and the special effects that he makes on his own. It was really cool to see his evolution as a filmmaker.
But the best part of this film is definitely the family drama of the Fabelman family. It provides the most emotional moments of the film. The film shows how the family drama affected not just Spielg, but his siblings as well. I think a lot of people will relate to Sammy in this film. Sowing that your passion is not just a hobby but something you want to do for the rest of your life is all of us at one point in our lives.The great thing is you can see both sides of the argument. That's what makes this film so good.
The Fabelmans will surely be an Oscar contender. It will be nominated for Best Picture. Spielberg will get a nomination for Best Director. Michelle Williams will get a nomination for Best Actress. The film will win a lot of awards and it deserves it. This was the best film I have watched in a long time and when it was over, I didn't want it to end.
Grade: A+
What did you think of The Fabelmans? Leave it in the comments below.