Gabriel LaBelle portrays Sammy Fabelman, the Spielberg character and our protagonist. In an outstanding performance, he effectively conveys the character's love for directing. Paul Dano (The Batman) and Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea) play Burt and Mitzi, Sammy's parents. Both excel in their roles and have solid chemistry with LaBelle, adding believability to their relationship. Recently, Williams even received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for her performance here. The rest of the cast are impressive too, with the standouts being Judd Hirsch (Uncut Gems) as Sammy’s uncle Boris and veteran director David Lynch’s surprise cameo as John Ford.
He films the crash on his father’s 8mm camera, igniting his love of filmmaking – a true story from Spielberg’s childhood
The film opens with young Sammy’s (played by Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord) first visit to the cinema. He sees The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) and is immediately in awe, though also terrified by the movie’s climactic train crash. As a result, he begs his parents for a model train set, enabling him to recreate the crash to gain control. He films the crash on his father’s 8mm camera, igniting his love of filmmaking – a true story from Spielberg’s childhood.
The film looks stunning, with truly beautiful lighting and fantastic production design that successfully transports the viewer back to mid-20th century America
Unsurprisingly, Spielberg’s direction is wonderful; he frames every scene masterfully and uses several of his signature long takes. The Fabelmans was shot by cinematographer Janusz Kamiński in his 20th collaboration with Spielberg. The film looks stunning, with truly beautiful lighting and fantastic production design that successfully transports the viewer back to mid-20th century America. John Williams, another frequent Spielberg collaborator, composed the movie’s excellent score – receiving his 53rd Academy Award nomination in the process!
If I had to find fault in the movie, I would have to say that it feels a little long. The first act, in particular, was a little sluggish and could be tightened up. However, after that, it gets back on track and the rest of the runtime flies by.
Overall, The Fabelmans is one of Spielberg’s finest films – an incredible feat considering the array of stellar movies he’s made. The film beautifully showcases Sammy’s love of filmmaking, and the trials and tribulations of pursuing a dream - a story that will resonate with many of us. In light of that, it’s deeply disappointing that this movie has proved a box office failure, grossing only $25 million on a budget of $40 million, although its seven Oscar nominations are some consolation. 4.5/5
