The Fabelmans

Loosely based on Steven Spielberg's childhood growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman falls in love with movies after his parents take him to see "The Greatest Show on Earth." Soon enough, armed with a camera, Sammy starts to make his own films, with big dreams of making movies for the world to see, but his hobby leads him to discover a shattering family secret, upending his formerly bucolic life, and it is only through the power of film that he is able to eventually see the truth.

It’s easy to dismiss Spielberg’s films as schmaltzy or pedestrian because he’s seemingly always been such a constant and pleasing presence at the movies. For decades now, the man has been creating iconic moments, crafting zeitgeists, and capturing our common imaginations. He consistently speaks to all of us, not just showing us dreams, but ourselves, who we are, who we were, who we want to be, again and again, and he makes it look so easy every time, so effortless.

Except for Ready Player One.

And A.l.

Ugh.

But I digress… my point is, filmheads have long known Spielberg is the King. The camera simply doesn’t lie. I mean, go google the opening to the episode of Columbo he directed when he was 24 years old. It’s incredible. Yes, it’s true, he’s never been afraid of a little razzmatazz when on stage—I mean, the last shot of The Fabelmans is a sight gag—just like he also can’t resist tugging on any errant heartstrings you might leave hanging about, and sure, that might annoy sometimes, or maybe roll a few eyes, but still… the guy makes magic.

And that’s because Steven Spielberg is a myth maker, a natural storyteller, so The Fabelmans is… well, a fable, and a great one too, in both big ways and small, even if he can’t help but soften things up a bit. It’s a candy-coated dream of a time that has come and gone, of an America that we all know, but that maybe never was. It’s the story of a middle-class Jewish family in the mid 60s in America, and it’s at least somewhat semi-autobiographical. You’ve definitely seen this story before too, or at least, glimpses of it peppering his oeuvre over the years. It’s sincere story, a simple one, and one that is fantastically entertaining. It’s also absolutely gorgeous, and quintessentially Spielberg.

Also, in truly the best part, for me at least, David Lynch plays John Ford in a reenactment of Spielberg’s own very brief meeting with the legendary director, who imparted to him in that moment all the advice a filmmaker really needs: “When the horizon's at the bottom, it's interesting. When the horizon's at the top, it's interesting. When the horizon's in the middle, it's boring as shit. Now, good luck to you.”

So that’s great too.