Spielberg Puts His Heart On The Screen In Legacy-Defining Film: 'The Fabelmans' Review

Gabriel LaBelle in The Fabelmans. Courtesy of Universal

Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans is genuinely incredible. In a film about his upbringing and journey to where he is now, he lays it all out for audiences to discover the beginnings of his journey to where he is today.

The film follows The Fabelmans, a fictionalized version of Spielberg’s family, with Michelle Williams as his mother and Paul Dano as his father. The story follows Sammy Fabelman as he discovers his love for filmmaking and pursues his passion while everything around him is deteriorating.

The film is filled with outstanding performances, most notably Michelle Williams and Gabriel LaBelle, who both brought me to tears at different points. Williams’ ability to command the screen and display a variety of emotions is incredible, and she is utterly terrific throughout the film. There are three scenes where it’s impossible not to sit in awe of her performance.

Gabriel LaBelle and Michelle Williams in The Fabelmans. Courtesy of Universal

On top of that, while talking to Gabriel LaBelle earlier this week, he revealed that many of her emotional scenes were trimmed down, as it was too much for viewers to take. LaBelle also shines in the leading role, as he not only nails the emotional scenes, in which you can’t help feeling as if you’re there but has impeccable comedic timing. He does a fantastic job leading the film and is someone you should expect to see more of soon.

Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord in The Fabelmans. Courtesy of Universal

The one other actor who stands out is Judd Hirsch. Although he only has a few scenes, Hirsch steals the show in them. It’s not surprising, given his filmography, he is fantastic. He brings one of the biggest lessons in the entire film and delivers it phenomenally.

To be clear, this isn’t to say that the entire supporting cast’s performances aren’t up to this level, but due to the primary focus on certain characters, they aren’t given their time to shine as brightly. Seth Rogen displays his dramatic chops, and Chloe East has phenomenal comedic chops.

Spielberg’s go-to contributors are seen in the film, with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski again displaying the mastery of his craft. Kaminski was behind the camera for many of the recreations of classic films, along with recreations of Spielberg’s childhood creations, all shot beautifully. Every shot in the film has a purpose, with the long takes and cuts fitting into the scenes’ emotions.

(L-R) Keely Karsten, Sophia Kopera, Michelle Williams, and Gabriel LaBelle in The Fabelmans. Courtesy of Universal

Another one of Spielberg’s usual contributors, John Williams, composed a fantastic score, which hopefully isn’t his last. At multiple points in the film, there are scenes without dialogue where Williams’ beautiful score carries the weight and emotional depth of the scenes, which would be much less emotional without it.

The film is written and paced incredibly well, even with its two-and-a-half-hour runtime. The editing allows for smooth, seamless transitions, and some particularly comedic segments.

Overall, The Fabelmans is not just an incredibly emotional tribute to Spielberg’s family and upbringing, but to the iconic director himself. An incredibly well-done film in all ways, and easily one of, if not the best of the year.

The Fabelmans hits select theaters on November 11, before going worldwide on Thanksgiving.