Dog’s Movie House: “The Fabelmans” Is Spielberg At His Most Personal!

As a coming of age story, “The Fabelmans” is pretty damn good. Spielberg obviously has a very personal relationship with the material and the authenticity shines through in every frame. The production design’s recreation of the fifties and sixties is lovingly detailed as well as Sammy’s early forays into filmmaking. It’s a hoot, as a film buff, to see all of the ardous work it took to film and edit even the simplest 16 mm film into something worth watching. The talent that would later blossom into something cinematically incredible is evident from the very beginning and it’s fun to watch Sammy grow as a filmmaker as he grows up.

It becomes evident early on that filmmaking is more than just a hobby for Sammy: it’s a means of escape. Sammy is a shy and somewhat introverted child and despite his intelligence often finds himself an outcast, especially during his time in high school. It’s only when he’s holding the camera that he feels confident. The rest has to come with experience.

“The Fabelmans” is over 2 1/2 hours long, but it doesn’t seem that way. The story moves along at a good clip but gives the characters room to breath. Spielberg (who cowrote the script with Tony Kushner) really gets the emotional content out of the family trials and tribulations, many times through the lens of Sammy’s camera. Burt, a genius at his work but emotionally distant when it comes to his wife, is not the stereotypical professional, but as played by the very good Dano, is much more shaded and subtle. Burt clearly loves his family, but his dedication to his profession and the scientific process makes it difficult to relate to Sammy and especially his free-spirited wife Mitzi.

Speaking of Mitzi, Michelle Williams is terrific in this film. Mitzi, trapped in a passionless marriage but will to stick it out for the sake of her children, is, like Dano, able to craft a nuanced character that avoids most of the broadstrokes that are the hallmarks of many a “free-spirited” female character. It’s clear that she’s suffering from depression, but her symptoms are fairly complex and for the most part, self-identifiable. She knows she’s unhappy but isn’t quite sure what to do about it. Her energy and artistic nature makes her a natural fit for bonding with Sammy, althoug events during the later half of the film lead to an estrangement between the two for a time.

Other fine performances come from Seth Rogan as Burt’s best friend and business partners Benny Loewy and Judd Hirsch as Uncle Boris, who’s brief appearance serves as a guidepost to both the benefits and pitfalls of the show business world, steals every scene in which he appears. Also making an appearance is legendary director David Lynch as equally legendary director John Ford, whose advice to Sammy during the film’s climax is as funny as it is insightful.

Overall, “The Fabelmans” is a fine autobiographical drama from one of the greatest directors of all time. His tale of growing up a child of divorce and his discovery of his passion for filmmaking tells us a lot about the man he became and why so many of his early films dealt with the subject matter they did. A wonderful film and a sure-fire Oscar contender for sure! 4 1/2 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

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