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MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

How does a filmmaker depict their own coming-of-age story on film? James Gray’s Armageddon Time created a character whose life was adjacent to his own. Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma centered on his childhood memories of a beloved family servant.

Steven Spielberg decided to tell the story of his childhood, youth and early adulthood by creating (with author Tony Kushner) the Fabelman family – Sammy (LaBelle), his three sisters, and parents Mitzi (Williams) and Burt (Paul Dano). The Fabelman family history is extremely specific to events in Spielberg’s life, including his close relationship to his mother, a childhood spent in New Jersey and teenage years in suburban Phoenix, and his parents’ divorce. The director took extra care to find actors who could resemble his mother and father and fills the movie with grace notes that evoke themes that have been filtered throughout his career.

Spielberg is primarily interested in sharing the development of his vocation as a filmmaker (as seen through the character of Sammy). After his folks take him to his very first childhood experience in a movie theater (they go to see Cecil B. DeMille’s 1952 film The Greatest Show on Earth), Sammy uses a trainset that he receives as a Hanukkah present to recreate a train crash from the movie. From that moment on, Sammy is hooked on film and is rarely seen without a camera in his hand. Burt enjoys the technical side of moviemaking (and purchases the equipment) and Mitzi is a free spirit who encourages Sammy’s creativity.

When Burt receives a significant position with IBM, the Fabelmans move from a primarily Jewish neighborhood in New Jersey to the mostly Gentile suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, where the American Dream will be challenged by antisemitism and divorce.

Rather than dwell on the pain of these divisive forces, The Fabelmans depicts the ways in which images created on film reframe life, revealing harsh truths but also providing new ways of understanding and healing.

The acting is universally good (with the exception of Seth Rogen) and the art direction is filled with nostalgia for the 50s and 60s, but I was surprised to find myself somewhat unmoved by this movie. There is too much speechifying in Tony Kushner’s script, with some key plot developments that I found unbelievable. The film is also overlong (2½ hours!) for its modest story. Sammy’s sisters are not given enough screen time and there are no significant childhood friendships to enjoy (even though most of Sammy’s movies include large casts). The Fabelmans is a movie that provided me with quite a bit to ponder after the first viewing, but not enough onscreen to make me want to revisit its world.

Fortunately, the vast number of great films by Steven Spielberg stand as testimony to the sincerity of this saga and can be enjoyed over and over again. For that we can all be truly thankful.

Halo and Pitchfork Rating:

Three halos: A great filmmaker’s origin story; positive family values.
Two pitchforks: Occasional swearing; alcohol and marijuana use; antisemitism; bullying; infidelity.

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