The Fabelmans

If you were to ask anybody off the street: "Name a Hollywood director", I'd be willing to bet there's one name that is mentioned more than others:

Steven Spielberg. 

The director responsible for decades of entertainment and iconic Hollywood films like (buckle up for this list): Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Indiana Jones I, II, III and IV, E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, War of the Worlds, Munich, Lincoln, Bridge of Spies, Ready Player One, and most recently West Side Story is a household name around the world. His experience is vast and across his career, he's given us a tremendous amount of variety, most often coupled with high-quality too. 

In short, ask most anyone - audience or critic - and it's likely they'll refer to Spielberg as the GOAT or very, very close to it. 

The Fabelmans is then immediately interesting as the pseudo-auto-biopic of Spielberg's life, without actually being about Spielberg himself. Before making its way to general audiences over this Thanksgiving week, the early reviews for this were enormously high and full of praise, with many suspecting that it could be a Best Picture front runner at the Oscars. Aside from my opinion of the Oscars in general, I could see why it's getting so much attention and it deserves all the praise it's getting. It really is one of the best films of the year. 

How aligned with Spielberg's actual childhood and teenage years The Fabelmans actually is, I'm not sure, though I imagine it's overall quite close. What's here is an immensely captivating story that you wouldn't think from the surface. That was one of my biggest fears going into The Fabelmans was that it would be another self-indulgent Hollywood flick that doesn't care much about connecting with general audiences or anyone outside of the "cinephile" moniker. Luckily, that's not the case at all and this is a wonderful story that's less coming-of-age and more coming-of-genius as Sammy Fabelman (aka, pseudo-Spielberg) finds that he loves making movies and is really good at it. Around him, his family, particularly his mother and father, have their own lives that intersect with his passion for this artform in surprisingly deep ways. A moment of the film where his distant uncle tells him that art and family will always clash in terms of which one gets more love comes to mind many times as I watched The Fabelmans as I believe that was likely advice Spielberg got when he was younger. Sometimes, the film feels like it's wandering a bit, particularly at 2.5 hours, but I never once was bored or wishing it would move along. In fact, I felt like I could have watched a 3.5 hour version of this film just fine. 

I always wonder: could you imagine being the parents to a GOAT? 
How cool would that be? 

Much of that is because of the fantastic cast and script. Our cast, which on the surface feels like some odd choices, ends up gelling well and creating an authentic family atmosphere. Paul Dano as the father, and Michelle Williams as the mother were my two initial, "huh?" casting choices but they're both incredible performers that can live in the happy and the stressful moments of their marriage. Seth Rogen has a surprisingly small part overall as Uncle Benny, but makes an impact when he's there. The film revolves around Sammy Fabelman though, and because of that Gabriel LaBelle had to be perfect. And truthfully, he was, in what I found to be one of the most effective performances this year. His earnest Spielberg er...I mean...Fabelman, is enraptured with cinema, struggling with being a teenager, but never loses the twinkle in his eye. He's also got some wicked comedic flare, thanks largely to a script that is better than it has any right to be - and may be the single best part of The Fabelmans. It's genuine (these feel like things real people would say), has moments where you begin to realize how Spielberg became who he is, captures the sad moments effectively, and is whip-smart funny. Far funnier than I would have anticipated, this is going to be up for a Rath Award for Funniest Film of the Year. 

Beyond all that has been mentioned, you also have Spielberg in the directors chair too so his iconic signature style is here and you can tell he's having fun with it. There are several different kinds of films in one, subtly, but it's there. I began to really pick up on the fun he was having once it became a teen-drama of sorts - with the villains painted in close-ups, for example - but it begs for a re-watch to see how that came across initially. 

As much as I was worried that The Fabelmans was going to end up disappointing me by being a typical movie about Hollywood and the movies that only people in the industry would love, it blew past those worries thanks to Spielberg. Partly in not making the focus solely around him, but rather a protagonist like him, we're able to get a much less stuffy, and surprisingly fun and endearing film. 

Yet another classic to add to his list of many. 

CONS

• A tad too long, even if I didn't mind. Wanders in the plot here and there
• Handful of weird moments that feel tonally different enough to mention

PROS

• Unsurprising, fantastic direction from Spielberg in the film basically about him
• A near-perfect script/screenplay that stays away from being stuffy or elitist and focuses on the characters
• Far funnier than I was expecting
• Captivating story that's about more than just Fabelman's start in directing
• Cast of memorable characters, all portrayed excellently
• Gabriel LaBelle should truly get awards recognition
• Consistently interesting. The subject matter of "creating the GOAT" never ceases on being inspiring and surprising
• Fitting original score in a very Spielberg way
• Entertaining from start to finish

Rath's Review Score | 9/10