The Fabelmans Movie Review: Steven Spielberg's Outstanding Semi-Autobiographical is an Inspiring Look Into the Director's Life (LatestLY Exclusive)

The Fabelmans Movie Review: Ever had that one passion you held so dearly close to your heart that you use it as a means to cope up with something tragic? That’s exactly what Steven Spielberg tries explore with his new drama The Fabelmans. With a coming-of-age plot about exploring one’s passion of filmmaking and surrendering to the art while your family crumples at the side, Spielberg helms this film inspired by his own life in a touching way that probably feels like his most personal work yet. Knock at the Cabin Movie Review: Dave Bautista, M Night Shyamalan’s Home-Invasion Thriller Feels Like a Series of Missed Opportunities (LatestLY Exclusive).

Set in the 1950s, we find the young and ambitious Sammy Fabelman (portrayed by Gabriel LaBelle), someone who was so swooped by the art of filmmaking at a young age that he can’t let go of the camera and that hold gets stronger when he enters his teens. However, when recording a camping trip and tasked to make a film of it, Sammy discovers the cracks in his family that he didn't notice earlier and it is this revelation that's what kicks off his journey.

The Fabelmans from its first frame itself feels like a piece of work that’s coming straight from the heart. We follow Sammy’s first experience as a kid watching a movie where he sees a train collide into a car, and this  is what practically kickstarts his obsession. Rather than feeling like an ode to cinema, this is more of an exploration of grandeur and the submission to it which makes this story so much more personal in hindsight even to the viewer.

To explore that obsession, we have Gabriel LaBelle, who nails that ambitious nature of using his love for filmmaking as a means to cope up with his dysfunctional family. Something that starts out as a hobby but turns into something more, this aspect of Labelle immediately feels relatable. It’s the small wins he receives here that make you root for him, and his intelligence just feels unmatched when using innovative ideas to shoot movies that definitely feel challenging in their concept. Yet, he never feels like his passion is met with a correct response because his father thinks of it as a hobby.

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Burt Fabelman (Paul Dano), a genius with computers, is of course proud of his son’s accomplishments, but he sees a life for him beyond filmmaking, while his wife Mitzi Fabelman (Michelle Williams) is supportive of whatever Sammy does. Sammy, though, doesn’t know how to react to his parents' dwindling marriage due to Mitzi falling for Burt’s best friend Bennie (Seth Rogen), and that creates for a conflict within him that becomes difficult to shake off.

Dano approaches playing Burt with a practicality. He is calm and the sweetest person you will ever come across, and yet he never manages to talk about anything aside from his work. So you understand when Mitzi, someone who had to give up her passion of playing the piano to look after her kids, fall for someone else even though there is an ethical barrier. Michelle Williams occasionally feels like she is overdoing her bit here, thankfully it never really takes away from understanding her emotional distress. There is Seth Rogen too, who is always a treat to watch in dramatic roles, and what The Fabelmans does well is to showcase these conflicted characters in a way that doesn’t really make you hate them.

It shows us that everyone has flaws, and blaming them for your life’s shortcomings is never the way one should go about with. Sammy in particular is someone who is not perfect. This is especially seen in the scene where he has just learned that his parents are divorcing and then he immediately goes back to editing a film all the while blaming Mitzi for the breakup of his family. It hits hard, and the overall aspect of it is very much understandable when trapped up in the cage of adolescence. I loved the way that Spielberg explores that young age because that moment of vulnerability is something we have all gone through.

The Fabelmans also portrays a traditional coming-of-age arc that certainly adds a great flair to Sammy’s life. Halfway through the film, the family travels to California once Burt gets his promotion, and Sammy is enlisted in a school where he gets beaten up by the bullies and definitely sticks it up to them by the end. Just seeing that arc being covered through Spielberg’s lenses, it was a great last hour that really brought home the third act with a prom scene that was just chef’s kiss. Not to forget the riot of a final scene featuring a cameo by David Lynch that is just propelled by one of the best final shots I have seen in a movie in a really long time. The Whale Movie Review: Brendan Fraser’s Devastating Performance is Marred by an Inconsistent and Cynical Script (LatestLY Exclusive).

On a final note, if it's true that John Williams is set to retire this year, then what a final great collaboration with Spielberg it would be to go out on! A duo that can never go wrong, Williams’ fable-like score brilliantly marries the dreamy cinematography of the movie. That makes The Fabelmans’ most impactful moments stand out so well. A masterwork if I must say.

Yay!

Gabriel LaBelle as Sammy Fabelman

Inspiring and Personal

The Score and Cinematography

Nay!

Michelle Williams Can Feel Like She Overacts a Bit

Final Thoughts

There are no dinosaurs here or tombs being explore and yet Spielberg delivers a grand spectacle that will wow you and also tug at your heartstrings. Relatable and inspiring in the best way possible, The Fabelmans is a clear-cut work of passion that clearly made for one of the memorable cinematic experiences I have had in a while. The film releases in theatres in India on February 10, 2023.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 09, 2023 05:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).