The Fabelmans - Review! 

That abrupt turn the movie took when they moved to the new town was exactly how I felt when my family moved to a new town when I was 11. I felt it. I thought it captured that feeling of turning your world upside down perfectly.

Beautiful film - and the last shot is absolutely brilliant. When the camera adjusted upwards, it left me with a smile on my face for an hour.

Thank you so much for this review. I too was not blown away by the film, and I’m glad I’m not alone. I thought that the script was too aimless and meandering, but had some good moments.

Dan’s honesty is why we’re all here. Keep up the great work, Dan.

Can't wait for this and glad Dano is having a great year with this And The Batman.

I want to see this just for David Lynch. I know it's a small roll, but he's my favourite director and I just love it when he acts

I actually fully agree with you about Williams, I thought she was terrible and surprised she has been favored over Dano, Hirsch and Labelle when it comes to the praise for the film. I loved the film though overall and disagree about the transition to High School. I think the sudden inclusion of those elements felt natural because it showed the shift to California and also the shift to fully having to deal with being an adult, which includes dealing with sudden hardships that might've been less evident when you were young.

Patiently waiting for Dan to review Andor. That show has been pure brilliance

Wow, I am absolutely shocked at Dan's luke warm reception to The Fablemans. I saw it at TIFF this year and I was absolutely blown away by the movie and I'm not nearly as big of a Spielberg fan as Dan is. I haven't even seen all of his movies. I was very much looking forward to seeing it, but a director telling a dramatized story of his own life worried me a little. Spielberg blew it out of the park though. The way he portrayed him falling in love with filmmaking as a child and weaved it in with his family life was magical. Not to mention how his love of movies changed as his life matured through big events in his life. Dan mentioned Judd Hirsch's stand out performance in the movie, but there's another one at the end of the movie that I think was almost as good as his that a lot of people aren't talking about. I hope Dan doesn't take this personally, but I just wonder if his expectations were just way too high for this movie. I think we all as movie fans sometimes have a checklist or a vision for what some movies should be and if a movie falls short, then that affects our enjoyment of the movie. I've definitely been guilty of that before. In short, I loved the movie and I don't know if it's one of my favourite Spielberg movies (he has a quite a resume), but I could see it making it there over time as I see it more and more.

I’m with you. Really great moments here strewn throughout a movie that’s a little aimless and meandering. But the great stuff really works, and I’m glad I saw it. Also, I’d say Paul Dano is up there with Judd Hirsh. His much more quiet, nueanced performance helped keep the film together for me.

Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner didn't get any love at the Oscars for 'West Side Story', so I got a feeling they're gonna win for this.

Since Cuaron's Roma, several directors are pushing out semi-autobiographical films like this and Belfast...

Yay! Two Dan reviews in one day!

For whatever reason I wasn’t really interested in seeing this. I love Spielberg and this really is my type of movie but somehow it didn’t interest me. I saw it anyway, hoping to be pleasantly surprised. I was not. It was very disjointed. I never got invested in any of the characters and YES, Williams’ performance was distracting. That’s actually the perfect word to describe it.

You hit the nail on the head, Dan. I liked this film a lot, but I felt like its intentions weren't entirely clear, and it does come off as melodramatic and maudlin a number of times. The performances are great, the cinematography is beautiful, and the score by John Williams is one of his subtlest and most potent in some time. Tonally and narratively, I felt like a framing device from Sam when he was older revisiting his childhood memories could have solved a lot of the issues, to emphasise, as you say, how he is viewing these events through a lens of nostalgia and self-mythologisation.

I just watched it and couldn't agree more. It felt like a well shot high budget Lifetime movie

This movie was long and boring. It was a pet project ego art house film for Spielberg. The mom character was kooky. Some scenes were just long and odd and boring. Good for film students and those obsessed with Spielberg. For everyone else, this movie sukked

I was very invested in the film making aspect of this movie and I really liked when they intertwined film making with the family drama and the school drama. When it was just a family drama, I thought it was good, but not great.

That awkward comedy gold in the beginning ❤️ thank you for being you!

Enjoyed this movie. Thought the 1st act was a bit dull and dragged out. Didn’t enjoy Michelle Williams performance found it to be a bit much. Paul Dano and the actor that played his son were probably my favorite part.

I attended his same high school, I'm curious how this film depicts that portion of his life; might not be fully accurate but I don't mind. When I heal from this flu, I'll watch it. Thanks for your review Dan

It gives "watching someone else's home movie". Politely nodding, you hit the nail on the head there. You can see it's important to them, but in reality it's boring and jagged. If it wasn't Spilberg, nobody would care. Even bad movies have powerful scenes, it's just not enough. Lazy, like the tilt in the last shot. Michelle's character was so all over the place. Really, tapping keys with fake nails? Who does that? Yet somehow no nail marks on that big emotional slap. Nothing tracks. The only scenes I enjoyed, and did in fact enjoy a lot, were movie shooting scenes. Beautiful, moving, interesting, visually stunning. Cut that biopic to 40 mins about art and we're gold!

I completely agree with you. I think Spielberg wanted to make a film about the complexities of love for art and family, but hide it in a dated stereotypical glossy film. It’s almost like he had to make everyone look good in the end. There are some fascinating life truths in this film that get glossed over by rushing back to movie making magic. Look over here, pay no attention to the guy behind the curtain. But the art in this film is behind the curtain. As a mixed race black kid I know how overt and covert racism feels and this film even seemed to play light with the racism Spielberg experienced. And to end the movie where it did left me wishing it had started there. The Judd Hirsch scene was so good it over shadowed the whole film.

You make a lot of great point and, honestly I agree with a lot of them. But there's a lot of things I really loved about this movie, from the acting to the cinematography to the writing. I understand if sees this as disappointing, but for some reason it did grab my attention and keep it for 2hr 30min runtime (and it didn't feel like that long to me). It's weirdly the kind of movie where you know a lot of it is dramatized and not true, but you really want it to be true. Plus, for such a melodramatic movie, it made me laugh more than I expected, between the devout Christian girlfriend, the legit family dynamic I felt with Sam and his family, and even the final shot of the movie (that was hilariously brilliant).

I would actually like a part 2 of this movie. because I was very invested in the filmmaking career of Sam fabelman and want to see Hollywood and life as a young director through his eyes, and through of course Spielberg's eyes.

its pretentious AF but i knew it would be... but yeah this is the first Spielberg film i ever skipped scenes becasue it was just too cringe. i even love S Spielberg he is legit one of the best directors to ever exist in film but yeah this was too personal and just cringe. the best part was the last 2 minutes... I laughed at the pure wisdom and i bet 100% thats what JF said word for word.. LOL one of Spielberg worst movies though... i really hope he has one more pure KINO some where in his old ass mind but i doubt it..

THANK YOU for a view not blinded by Spielberg fanboying. Even when I am one. I loved those few scenes you point out but I can’t help but feel this is a case where the director overshadowed his own movie. And if it was meant to be meta, it makes it even more self indulgent. Like bringing epic Kaminski and John Williams level skills to a very non-epic tale. And over-directing Michelle Williams like he was telling her to act his memory of his mom vs bringing her natural subtlety to it. Maybe it made for aspiring film students. Or maybe it’s just a 150 minute statue to himself. But I just don’t get the critical outpouring aside from “it has to be good right?”

The Fabelmans was good, I think I was expecting a more Finding Neverland type of approach but what we got I respect. Obviously Williams will get the heaviest buzz at award season, but there were times I was exhausted by the character but I get it. To this date, Spielburg hasn't created a bad movie, and I will continue to say that. The Fabelmans made my Top 20. I really hope LaBelle gets some credit, he really held his own.

We should have seen more of Judd Hirsch in the movie. He was very good.

I find Michelle Williams to be a dour actress, not Rooney Mara levels of dour but close, so I welcome seeing a film with her going big! Even if it's distracting, I need to see she's capable of any other emotion than lip quivering pathos.

I have had the same dilemma for the past couple of weeks since I watched it. Honestly, I felt this is probably the best coming of age film I've ever seen. But being a Spielberg film, somehow that alone didn't feel enough. If this wasn't directed by Spielberg, this would've blew me away. A semi-biographical movie from one of the ATG directors made me want something more than just flashes of moments of brilliance.

100% in agreement with this review. Spielberg is a main reason I fell in love with movies. JP, ET, Jaws, Indiana Jones were formative for me. Same for close encounters. I wanted more depth to this one. If the entire movie was that scene channeling his family with the actor it would be a masterpiece to me. I love Spielberg but haven't been as big on his later career.

Please do a Steven Spielberg ranked video

In Australia, we have to wait until January 5 2023 before this movie hits theatres.

Wow @ the comments about Michelle’s performance. She was breathtaking in my opinion. I went in with low expectations though so maybe that’s it.

This/next year's "Volcano"/"Dante's Peak" "Armageddon"/"Deep Impact" theme is "Movies sure are great, aren't they? Like wow, movies." with this one and "Empire of Light" (and maybe "Babylon").

I’m glad you said it. Considering everything, I had even higher hopes than the finished product. I wanted to sing the highest praises, but it would be insincere. I will see again to give it a second chance

I'm not terribly surprised, based on the tones in the trailers. The writing seemed pedestrian. And that's sometimes the problem with passion projects. You live inside your emotions about what you're making, that it can be hard to objectively view it from the audience perspective.

Steven Spielberg is in my top three human beings

Thank you for being a Spielberg fan and an honest critic. I am so reluctant to see this film.

Great review and luv your intro outro music always

YES I thought her performance was so over done and way to mellow dramatic for me. I thought I was the only one. Felt so unfitting with the rest of the cast. Idk this was partly a directorial issue or what but very out of place.

how is the box office gonna go for this movie you reckon? Maybe it picks up some steam during awards season

I really enjoyed the way Judd Hirsch steals the show, even for a short time. As a Jew myself, I also appreciated the way that Uncle Boris dropped a couple of Yiddish words.

totally off topic but why do you have a movie pass card framed?

Huh - I was TOTALLY on board with Williams' Mitzi!

Dan, Frank Marshall and Kathlèen Kennedy had nothing to do with the Fabekmans.

Perfectly captured my thoughts, although I have no doubt that on rewatch I'll latch on to certain elements more.

It was entertaining and very well done but I feel it would of worked better as a tv series. Judd Hirsh should get a nomination. Great movie.

I hated this movie. It seriously felt like Tommy Wiseau made it with Spielberg’s DP. No one acted like a human. The only good part was David Lynch at the very end.

David Lynch was amazing as John Ford

When they move to California the movie goes off the rails. Have Spielberg and Kushner ever met a Christian??? The depiction of his (catholic? I guess?) girlfriend was unbelievably stupid. And Sammy/Steven’s senior ditch day movie about the jock was weirdly homoerotic and showed that Sammy/Steven was using film as a divide and conquer technique to end the jocks’ friendship. “You fell for that snow job?” the jock asks the other. A snow job is a deception or concealment of one’s true motives in an effort to persuade through flattery. Hmmm, sooo… propaganda? Has Spielberg made other “snow jobs” professionally? The trailer promised a portrait of a young artist but really The Fabelmans is the origin story of a born manipulator.

I feel like this could’ve been a really good movie if it had been edited better. Definitely does not need to be 2 hours and 30 minutes. The high school part was really unoriginal and cliche.

I was gonna catch this movie this weekend but I just tested positive for COVID so Fablemens gonna have to wait.

I thought Michelle Williams was so annoying in this movie

i’m with you dan. i liked it a lot but i wasn’t blown away.

The fablemans was such a disappointment… it was laughably cliched and telegraphed its plot points miles in advance. Not that it needed to because it read as it was so much like a typical formulaic paint by numbers, biopic, that I almost thought it was a parody.

100% accurate review!

My favorite Spielberg movie, by far. Best yet !

I really enjoyed the film. The scene towards the end encapsulated the premise of the the movie for me. It was so much more depressing than I hoped but overall I the performances were quite nice.

Agree with many of your points.Not great,not horrible just......mediocre and 150 minutes of mediocre film making is way too long.Took my family which range in age 15-58 and all agreed it was average at best with some solid scenes but lacking a cohesive narrative.Disappointing for me,expected a lot more.

Michelle Williams almost single-handedly ruins this film.

I wasn't that much into the movie either. It has a few great scenes, but overall it's a lot of stuff we've seen before. I wished it focused more on directing movies, possibly adding the first movie Spielberg made, or his first TV episodes. Instead it's a lot focused on their parents' mariage, while his sisters are barely here. The score also was a disappointment for me, it was so banal, so boring... Some key elements of directing were also a bit weirdly shown. The moment he realizes he has so much power on actors, with that sergent/lieutenant walking amongst the dead soldiers. But when they talk it out before the scene there's this half humorous half serious tone which was really weird. The bullying was shocking coz it's Spielberg and we all love him, but it wasn't anything we hadn't seen a million times before in movies either. And I got to say, the mother was really really weird. I saw Kevin Smith really hype this movie up, especially two scenes : when the boy reveals the train movie to his mother and the final scene with John Ford. But I gotta say, neither of those were my favorite. I simply think that overall it was too much to cram into one single movie. The sisters are mostly absent, I still don't know who that awful old woman who criticizes everything was (the father's mother ?), and the uncle Bennie affair was quite cringe to watch... So overall, the script is too weak for me, it felt unbalanced, the movie didn't grab me as I hoped it would.

I had been hearing a LOT about Michelle Williams' "Oscar-worthy" performance in this film, and upon seeing it last night for myself......she's straight-up awful. Every single scene with her brings down this movie significantly. She reminded me SO much of Jared Leto in House of Gucci with how over-the-top she was being the whole time. Monumentally disappointing.

I hope that this means Banshees will win best picture

You're being true to how you feel, Dan. :)

January for the UK. Awesome.

Absolute zero interest in this movie. Color me skeptical that it truly is a “masterpiece.” Good for the genuine Dan Murrell for not faking it. I disagree with the man a lot, but Dan is the real deal.

2 star movie. It meandered through vignettes. Hyped up a made up bullying at a Palo Alto high school that never happened and finished with a histrionic mother who followed her dreams by leaving her family. No more spellburg movies for me.

I could tell from the trailers...it looked doctored. Hope it is good a time, will check it out. Dan, good one again. :)

You are spot on dude - well done

I think the key here is not to lose focus that this is what Spielberg is showing you for a reason. Kinda like when you watch a tarantino film. This feels like one of Spielberg’s most methodical film in terms of script to screen approach I found it to be fascinating. This is why I love the “glimpses” through which he channels himself through the characters for brief moments at a time and then immediately grounds the film again in painful yet beautiful moments to remind you of the experience. Also, i would add that’s to contrast his struggle with his mom’s struggle to fight for her family despite wanting to be with someone else - this someone else for spielberg being the craft, further personifying art.. Idk maybe it’s just me but either way it’s awesome. Killer performances and masterful directing.

No way this movie was better than EEAAO.

Dan Murrell... Millennial Dawson Leary?

Perhaps it's most fitting that the first thing The Fabelmans gets wrong is the myth that "motion pictures" are possible due to the "persistence of vision." The notion of the persistence of vision is that every visual impression we receive "persists" in our vision for a short period of time. If that were true, ever motion picture experience would be a long sloppy blur of images and movement. Think about it. It's not that difficult to logic it out. The reality is that it's the Phi Phenomenon, or more specifically Beta Movement, that makes "motion pictures" possible. The rest of The Fabelmans is an uncertain mix between Memoir and Coming-of-Age story that focuses more on the dissolution of a marriage and its effect specifically on the son (Spielberg) and less on what spark, if any, enflamed young Spielberg's purported "love of cinema." He doesn't seem to love it...despite clearly being good at it.

Good not great movie. Best only Oscar nom should be for the moms brother. Best part of the film

I'm a HUGE Spielberg fan, but I think he needs to ditch Kushner, maybe even get a new cinematographer I liked about ten minutes of this two and a half hour movie, too bad the whole movie wasn't as good as the last 4 minutes.

Just saw it. Thought it was clunky and kinda weird.

It a very good movies and we has more movies like the Fabelmans

I'll be honest, the trailer and PR for this movie make it seem unbearably pretentious to me.

This film doesn't appeal to me at all. Thanks for the review Dan.

Awesome review. Thanks Dan for your always unbiased take. Pins and Needles waiting for Andor and Rings of Power!

I loved this movie so much.

Dan the man.

Is that scene where they are talking about Jesus how it is played in the film? No editing on your part? Because that... felt really bad. The editing was not good.

Why is it called the fablemans?

"Do what you love" they all say that. they never say. an ego like yours must use force on something trivial.

Meh. Looks boring.

Just got home from seeing it. It was well shot and well acted but what a piece of shit. Spielberg is not a writer and nobody had the balls to tell him it wasn't working. So disappointed.

Sorry but Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall didn't have anything to do with this film. 7:25

Should Michelle Williams be nominated for best actress or best supporting actress?

I'd see this of it didn't cost 20 dollars a ticket.

simple.predictable.disappointing. can't stand michelle williams,in anything

I’m not watching it cuz u trashed black panther 2

Spielberg hasn’t made a decent film in almost 30 years. Back then, his name in the credits would have meant an immediate desire to see it. Now, not a chance.