The Fabelmans (2022)

This is my look at Spielberg's latest film.

I must admit, I was initially apprhensive regarding Spielberg's previous film, West Side Story (2021). I knew he had wanted to make a musical for years but, with a number of classic musicals that have yet to be made into feature films, why would he choose to remake one that was already made into, for many, a classic movie? But, mainly by keeping how sensibilities are in this day and age, Spielberg, like Sir Kenneth Branagh with Henry V (1989), did the impossible and made a version that proved superior to its acclaimed predecessor (not having subtitles was an interesting touch). Spielberg chose to follow that truimph with a semi-auto-biographical story about a boy who discovers his love for filmmaking just as his parents are getting divorced. Anyone who has watched as many interviews with Spielberg as I have may be able to instantly pick certain aspects of the story as it plays out. A boy named Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) first becomes enchanted with the art of filmmaking after his parents Mitzi (Michelle Williams) and Burt (Paul Dano) take him to see The Greatest Show on Earth (1952).

As the years go by, Sammy, with Mitzi's encouragement, begins making his own movies, starring his three sisters and his childhood pals.

Not long after the family moves to Arizona, though, Sammy's developing filmmaking skills lead him to discover that Mitzi is having an affair with family friend Bennie (Seth Rogan). This eventually leads to the aforementioned divorce, with Mitzi moving back to New Jersey with Bennie. As he deals with anti-Semitism from his fellow high schoolers, Sammy continues pursuing his craft and even dating fellow classmate Monica (Chloe East).

Eventually, Burt encourages Sammy to keep going after his filmmaking dreams as well. The film ends with Sammy getting an interview at CBS about working on the upcoming TV series Hogan's Heroes. This interview leads to Sammy meeting legendary filmmaker John Ford (David Lynch), whose harshly put words reinvigorate Sammy about his abilities.

In one sense, this film has elements of Ed Wood in it, as it dabbles into the appeal of filmmaking. But, much like Spielberg's E.T.-The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Catch Me If You Can (2002), the film shows how divorce can impact a child. One thing I liked about the film was how neither Mitzi nor Burt are portrayed as uncaring. This makes their separation all the more painful when it does occur. The entire cast is great, especially Lynch playing John Ford. The scene plays out pretty much the way Spielberg described the time he met Ford in the documentary Directed by John Ford. But the scene-stealer is definitely Williams, who makes the same memorable mark as Melinda Dillion, Dee Wallace, Frances O'Connor, and Kathryn Morris, all of whom played mothers in the respective Spielberg works Close Encounters of the Third Kind(1977), E.T., A.I.-Artificial Intelligence (2001), and Minority Report (2002). It's also not surprising that Spielberg co-wrote the script along with Tony Kushner, who had penned Spielberg's previous works Munich, Lincoln, and West Side Story. The Fabelmans marks the fourth film Spielberg is credited with writing, after Close Encounters, Poltergeist (1982), and A.I. Appropriately, Spielberg dedicates the film to his parents, both of whom passed on just a few years prior to the movie's release.