ReelBob: ‘The Fabelmans’ ★★★½

By Bob Bloom

For decades, filmmakers have been telling stories about their childhoods and the dynamics that drew them to movies.

Steven Spielberg is the latest to join this group. His newest movie, “The Fabelmans,” is a touching and spiritual journey that is more about family than about a young man’s growing love of filmmaking.

People who know of Spielberg’s background will be familiar with many of the sequences in this semi-autobiographical feature cowritten by Spielberg and Tony Kushner.

Young Sammy Fabelman starts making movies after his parents take him to see Cecil B. DeMille’s circus extravaganza, “The Greatest Show on Earth.” Sammy is particularly fascinated with the film’s train-wreck sequence, which, after he receives an 8mm camera for Hanukkah, he tries to recreate with another of his gifts, a new Lionel train set.

From the outset, we see the tension in the family dynamics. While Sammy’s mother, Mitzi (Michelle Williams), is supportive, his father, Burt (Paul Dano), scolds him for not treating his trains carefully.

Burt is a pragmatist, an electrical engineer who was one of the pioneers in the early days of computer development, while Mitzi, who trained as a classical pianist, is artistic.

Always seemingly in the background is Burt’s best friend, Bennie (Seth Rogen), whose mutual attraction to Mitzi is clearly evident.

When Burt gets a job offer in Phoenix, the family moves — with Bennie following close behind.

It is in Phoenix that Sammy seriously begins making his “backyard” movies, cajoling his three sisters and friends to participate in front and behind the camera.

The teenage Sammy’s camera captures what his eyes can’t — or refuse — to see — the tenderness between his mother and Bennie.

Things come to a head when Burt gets a job offer for IBN in northern California and again moves the family. This time, Bennie is left behind.

In California, Sammy, as the new kid in high school, must deal with antisemitism, bullying and first love, using his novice filmmaking techniques to gain a modicum of acceptance.

With “The Fabelmans,” Spielberg looks inward as he never has before. Sure, he has offered glimpses of broken families, most notably in “E.T., but he has never been so personal and forthcoming as he is here.

“The Fabelmans” does not fully show how Spielberg becomes a filmmaker, as much as the why. You see it as a young man’s escape from the messiness of family and adult problems he cannot fully grasp nor understand.

The movie is tender and touching, propelled by the heartbreaking performances of Williams and Dano. Williams especially displays a fragility and inner sadness, while Dano displays the emotional blindspot that builds wedges between Burt and Mitzi.

Gabriel LaBelle as the teenage Sammy Fabelman is, when not behind a camera, unsure, vulnerable and pained. Behind the camera, he displays a confidence and surefootedness that will develop as he matures as a moviemaker.

At 151 minutes, “The Fabelmans” comes close to wearing out its welcome, but a finale in which Sammy meets an iconic filmmaker portrayed by David Lynch, is worth the wait.

“The Fabelmans” is a cinematic portrait of an untapped artist stumbling to find his voice and vision. It is a transfixing memory piece that celebrates the power and delights of moviemaking.

I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook at ReelBob.com or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.

THE FABELMANS
3½ stars out of 4
(PG-13), brief violence, thematic elements, drug use, language