Film Review: THE FABELMANS (2022): Steven Spielberg’s Film is a Tribute to the Art of Film and the Power of the Family Bond

The Fabelmans Review

The Fabelmans (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Tony Kushner and Steven Spielberg and starring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Gabriel LaBelle, Julia Butters, Seth Rogen, Judd Hirsch, Sam Rechner, Chloe East, David Lynch, Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord, Keeley Karsten, Alina Brace, Birdie Borria, Jeannie Berlin, Robin Bartlett, Oakes Fegley, Isabelle Kusman and Chandler Lovelle.

The Fabelmans is a movie inspired by Steven Spielberg’s upbringing and love for the craft of film-making. It is anchored by several terrific performances with Michelle Williams taking top honors as Mitzi Fabelman, the whimsical mom of the character inspired by Spielberg, Sammy Fabelman (an excellent Gabriel LaBelle). Set in New Jersey, Arizona and, finally, California, Spielberg’s film is a love letter to the art of movies and a testament to the strength of the bond between family members.

Starting out in the early 1950’s, we are introduced to a family called the Fabelmans headed by dad Burt (the always phenomenal Paul Dano) and mother Mitzi (Williams). They take their son, Sammy (played as a young kid by Mateo Zoryon Francis DeFord), to the movies to see The Greatest Show on Earth and Sammy’s life will never be the same again. Sammy soon stages a reenactment of the train derailment scene from the film when he is given a movie camera and Mitzi is certainly impressed. Burt would prefer that Sammy focus on trying to find a clearer path in life when Sammy’s love for the movies becomes his central passion.

There are a number of fun sequences with Sammy and his younger female siblings creating scenes for the camera. The funniest one involves the kids using many rolls of toilet paper to re-enact scenes from The Mummy. Also interspersed into the plot are scenes of Sammy’s “uncle” Bennie (Seth Rogen) who is really his dad’s best friend. However, pretty soon, Sammy captures his mother’s personal affections for Bennie when the family goes on a camping trip together.

Judd Hirsch has some great moments as the great-uncle Boris who comes on to the screen and delivers some insightful observations about life. Though Hirsch only has a brief amount of screen time, he makes the most of his pivotal role in the picture. Hirsch’s performance stands out significantly even in a film like this which is full of fine performances.

Mitzi suffers from some sort of emotional instability that could derive from her personal attachment to Bennie. Many of Williams’ mannerisms and on-screen movements make her ultra realistic as a character. Williams leaps off the screen in her portrayal of a mom who loves her children above all else. She keeps the home fires burning while Burt goes out to conquer the world with his high-profile job. When Mitzi hits Sammy, she regrets it so much and Williams is astonishing at revealing the depth of her character’s love for all her kids. At one point, Mitzi adopts a monkey and this makes for some terrifically comical scenes that show how the family accepts Mitzi despite all her odd choices and idiosyncrasies.

The movie comes to life even more in the scenes in California where Sammy gets bullied in high school by some kids headed by Logan (a well-cast Sam Rechner). These teenagers pick on Sammy because he is Jewish but as the plot develops, Sammy deals with the way these bullies pick on him in fascinating ways. The movie allows the audience to see how deeply Sammy is affected by the events that transpire in high school. Sammy will not go down without some sort of fight, however, and he makes some interesting decisions along the way.

The icing on the cake is the absolutely terrific actress Chloe East who plays Monica Sherwood who Sammy meets and falls in love with in high school. Monica is a religious fanatic who tries to make Sammy a fan of Jesus who Monica finds sexy for reasons that must be heard to be appreciated. East is so great in her role that she steals the show whenever she comes on screen. LaBelle is perfectly in tune with her and their interactions will certainly put a smile on your face in some of the most humorous moments of the movie. East certainly deserves consideration for awards for her laugh-out-loud funny work.

Julia Butters as Reggie Fabelman is also noteworthy for her fine performance. She’s Sammy’s sister and there is a great scene where Reggie breaks down over the thought of her parents separating and Sammy, who has no words of wisdom to help, simply asks Reggie to sit beside him and watch the film Sammy has put together for his prom night. It’s a tender moment in a film chock full of touching scenes.

Written by Spielberg and Tony Kushner, The Fabelmans is so entertaining to watch. As the movie makes its way to its conclusion, which includes a high profile director in a cameo who meets Sammy and gives him some sage advice, there is a lot of heart along the way. The movie concludes with the message that Sammy has the power to create his own future through the passion he possesses with his love of film-making. One of the best scenes is when Sammy directs a young man starring in one of his short films. You can see that Sammy has all the markings of a great movie director as he inspires and points those who participate in his films in the right direction.

But, The Fabelmans would be less stellar without Michelle Williams’ amazing performance as Mitzi. Williams is passionate and fascinating in every single scene in which she appears. Paul Dano has some solid scenes as well but this is clearly Williams’ big Hollywood moment as her performance is truly one to be cherished forever. An Oscar nomination is almost assured to be awarded for Williams’ amazing work. Seth Rogen could have been stronger in his role but perhaps his performance isn’t as showy as it could have been to prove that Mitzi seeks a certain level of happiness in her life that is only attainable by being with someone who takes life less seriously than her husband, Burt.

The Fabelmans is Steven Spielberg at the top of his game as a filmmaker. It is one of the year’s best films. Gabriel LaBelle couldn’t be more perfectly cast as the stand-in for Spielberg and the actor captures the sincerity of Sammy to perfection. Williams’ performance may be what the movie is remembered for most but LaBelle will become a star in his own right thanks to the actor’s superb work in this excellent movie.

Rating: 9.5/10

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