January 18, 2023
Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) is the only son of Jewish couple computer engineer Burt (Paul Dano) and pianist Mitzi (Michelle Williams). His first movie as a child was Cecil B. DeMille's "The Greatest Show on Earth." Fascinated, Sammy tried to recreate a crash scene from the film with his toy train set and his father's video camera. From then on, Sammy would go on to create various film projects all the way through his teens.
When Burt got a new job, the Fabelmans moved from New Jersey to Arizona together with Burt's best friend and business partner Bennie Loewy (Seth Rogen), whom the kids considered their uncle. Burt's belief that movie-making was nothing more than a hobby annoyed Sammy. Later, Sammy's discovery of sensitive secrets in their household soon caused Sammy to lose interest and drive in film-making. Will he get the passion back?
Director Steven Spielberg long had a talent for making engaging and heartwarming coming-of-age films, most of which have become family favorites. These include "E.T." (1982), "Empire of the Sun" (1987), "Super 9" (2011), "The Adventures of Tintin" (2011), "War Horse" (2011), and "Ready Player One" (2018). "The Fabelmans" was right along that alley, with a script Spielberg wrote himself (with Tony Kushner) based on his own journey as a film-maker.
Even if this role of Sammy is technically not his first film role, it is certainly 20-year old Gabriel LaBelle's big breakthrough. He just won the Critics Choice Award for Best Young Performer for his sensitive portrayal of a teenager whose artistic passion revealed unseen tension in his family. His veteran supporting actors Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogan, Judd Hirsch (as Uncle Boris) all turn in nuanced performances that all deserve awards attention.
The best scenes were those of young Sammy creating and screening his masterpieces -- the train robbery, the camping trip, the "Ditch Day" film. We see his passionate directorial process, painstaking camera and film editing work, motivating the acting of his sisters and friends, innovating his own special effects. While the family turmoil and anti-Semitism scenes added uncomfortable melodrama, Spielberg's skill in handling sentimentality remains assured. 7/10.
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