The Fabelmans Review
7.5/10
I haven’t loved a Spielberg film in a long time. Munich was the last time he made something I was truly enamored with. That’s not to say he has made nothing but duds since then. The only film between then and now that approaches bad territory is Ready Player One, a film that tried so hard to be hip and cool that it was physically painful to sit through. The best way I can describe most of his output since Munich is aggressively average. They aren’t bad in any way, but they are often so pedestrian and predictable that it is difficult to recall the details. There are some bright spots, Bridge of Spies was a good cold war film and Lincoln was enjoyable. They very rarely enthrall me in the way his old films did.
His post-Munich work is all well-made and usually has fantastic acting, but there is a spark missing. A personal element that other filmmakers give their work that he was lacking. I didn’t see his version of West Side Story, so I won’t judge that one. The Fabelmans had the potential to be one of his greats. I was looking forward to seeing it more than most of his recent work. When the credits started rolling, I did not know how to feel about it at first. There are many elements I enjoyed and others that fell flat. Trying to figure out in my head if the strong parts balanced out the weak was precarious.
Let’s begin with some story details. We are introduced to Sammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryan) of the Fabelman family. He is seeing his first ever film on the big screen with his parents Mitzi (Michelle Williams) and Burt (Paul Dano.) They are seeing The Greatest Show on Earth. Sammy is nervous about this endeavor, he is frightened by the idea of seeing giant people on the screen. His parents reassure him that everything will be fine and how much he will love it. There is some on the nose dialogue about the magic of movies here, but I was able to get past that and enjoy the opening for its loving sense of nostalgia.
I don’t remember what my first theater experience was. I do remember that feeling of sitting in a crowded theater with a room of strangers, anticipation building as the lights dim. We take that feeling for granted today with the takeover of streaming. That experience of seeing movies on the big screen as a kid does have real magic to it. I still sometimes get a whiff of that splendor in the air. If the movie is absorbing enough, it can take you away from your life and throw you into another world. My inner old man wonders if kids still have that reverence in their early days of cinema-going. The nature of seeing movies has changed so much over the years. I remember when seeing a movie was an event. Now I often watch something on streaming, and it washes over me and I forgot the details a week later.
The Fabelmans attempts to capture that adoration we had as kids for movies. What it doesn’t do is spend the running time ruminating on the magic of cinema. We get some of that in the early stages of the story, but if anything, the film is more about the disconnect between the world of movies and reality. Sammy is so captivated by filmmaking that he initially does not realize the struggles his parents are going through in their marriage. As he grows up and becomes a teenager, now played by Gabriel Labelle, he gets hooked on moviemaking thanks to the camera he is gifted with. His mother is supportive and helps him nurture this love of filmmaking. His father is more conflicted about the idea.
Burt is an engineer and is worried that making movies is just a hobby and not a replacement for a real job. This may make him sound heartless; the film could have easily gone in that direction. Instead, Sammy’s father is shown to be kind and loving. One who is befuddled by his son’s fascination with making his films. Despite this disconnect with his son’s passion, Burt always attends the screenings of his son’s films and is visibly engrossed in them. This family dynamic forms the heart of the story as Sammy grows up and develops his talents. His three sisters become involved in the early films as well, but their presence in the story lessens as he starts making more macho films with his friends. They are still an important part of the story, but I would have liked to see them in Sammy’s work more.
All that sounds wonderful, right? In some ways, yes; there are scenes in the film that I adored. The acting is fantastic across the board. Michelle Williams and Paul Dano especially give so much life to their roles. Dano brings a gentle demeanor to Burt, so even when he is visibly angry or frustrated, you can tell he is a good man at heart. Mitzi becomes increasingly tortured as the film goes on and Williams does a brilliant job portraying her growing anguish. Seth Rogan is solid as the family friend Benny. He brings sincerity to his performance which I quite liked. The emotional cores of these characters are genuine. Where it falters for me is the writing.
I don’t know how much involvement Spielberg had in the script. He is first billed as a co-writer with Tony Kushner. What made the film stumble in its execution for me was how artificial much of the dialogue was. Natural sounding dialogue is essential to making a great coming of age film. The problem with Fabelmans for me was how so many of the character interactions took me out of the film. The performances are exceptional, but they would speak their thoughts and feelings in such a blunt way that I couldn’t help thinking throughout that nobody talks like that. I can tell Spielberg and Kushner were trying to capture a more innocent era where people spoke in a more reserved and seemingly naïve way. There is nothing wrong with that approach. I just couldn’t help thinking that much of the dialogue felt so “written.” Powerful moments in the film were cut down by this issue constantly.
It is hard for me to overlook that problem and love the film as I could have. There are certainly a few fantastic scenes that grabbed my attention and made me see what the film could have been. Moments between Sammy and his parents are some of the best parts of the film. Those morsels of magic are soon undercut by more exchanges between characters advertising all their thoughts and feelings in their words. That’s not to say the writing is ever appalling; it works on the surface to communicate the characters’ intentions. It just did it in a way that I felt needed a more naturalistic style. What helps the film overcome this issue to some extent is Spielberg’s sincerity. It is easy to see how much he cares for these people and their struggles.
Despite my complaint about the writing, I think this is one of Spielberg’s strongest films in years. I’m happy to see him delving into his past to create a work that feels like it was from the heart. I know a bit about his past and his prolonged estrangement from his father. When you know that about him and you see Fabelmans, it frames the rest of his work differently and gives you some perspective on who he is. I didn’t love it as much as many others will, but I still recommend seeing it. I think this film will resonate with a lot of people.
