Directed by : Steven Spielberg

You do what your heart says you have to. Because you don't owe anyone your life. Not even me. 

Gabriel LaBelle in a still from 'The Fabelmans'

Spoilers ahead...

Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle) at a very young age realizes his obsession for camera and aspires to be a film-maker. The story is about the struggles he faces while living in a family where his parents Burt Fabelman (Paul Dano) and Mitzi Fabelman (Michelle Williams) are going through an unhappy marriage.

The early days of Steven Spielberg's life is shown here, sort of a semi-autobiographical movie. The opening scene establishes beautifully how Sammy gets mesmerised watching first movie at theatre, and later on Mitzi finding the reason he wants to re-create the train crash scene with toys is because he seeks control over what frightens him. 

Later on, we see how innovative and smart Sammy is to realize a shot in his made short movie looks fake with the gunshots and he quickly finds a way to make it look real. Whenever the movie focusses on Sammy and his camera, the movie feels great to watch. 

Its the other sub-plots that don't really hit well with me, whether its the bullying at high school or the anti-semitism or coming of age. But the main issue I had was the whole Mitzi-Burt story, where Mitzi's affection for Burt's friend Bennie Loewy (Seth Rogen) felt too stretched and never-ending. The same point would had come across better if he had not gone self-indulgent in some long scenes. A reason why despite a wonderful performance from Michelle Williams, I couldn't really love her character. I do love 2 of her scenes, one where she drives her children to see a tornado and breaks at some distance realizing what a reckless thing she did as a mom risking their life, and other was when she tells Sammy that he should do what his heart says and not listen to anyone, not even her. 

There's a lovely cameo of Judd Hirsch, who plays Uncle Morris, brother of Mitzi. He in very straight words warns Sammy of where he is eventually heading, and how art/moviemakers always are selfish and prioritize their work over even their loved ones. However, I don't think the role was big enough to earn an Oscar nomination for him. 

Loved Gabriel LaBelle performance, and I specially like the scene where Sammy comes to know the feelings of his mother towards Bennie when he is editing the camping trip video. I also like when he talks to his dad telling how he feels he isn't sure where he is headed, a kind of dilemma almost every teenager goes through in life. 

One scene I think I will never ever forget is the one involving Sammy's girlfriend Monica Sherwood (Chloe East) where she wants Sammy to bring Jesus inside him and then they can make love. It was really tough to control laughter in this hilarious scene. 

Overall, The Fabelmans provides some insight into early days of Steven Spielberg, and there's plenty to like and enjoy, but I just couldn't love it. 

My Rating : 6/10