2022 - THE FABELMANS, Steven Spielberg at 76

 At the age of 76, Spielberg is still making films and still quite prolific. The Fabelmans is different from his recent films.  It's clearly a very personal project since it is about his family and his embrace of film making.  Most critics and publicists have said it's based on his family, but Spielberg has gone on at great length about how this film is about his parents divorce.

For all of Spielberg's potent skill behind the camera I don't believe he really pulled his story off.  The film's box office was a disappointment.  Audiences just didn't seem to want to embrace his personal story.  Spielberg appeared to have a complicated relationship with his divorced parents.  In The Fabelmans he is clearly trying to present a positive portrayal of his mother and father even with all of their flaws.  The mother is the creative head of the family, she appears to be a frustrated artist unhappy about being a housewife and a mother.  But I feel the mother comes off as somewhat of a nut, probably not what Spielberg was aiming for.

As the Spielberg character Sammy moves into high school, he becomes even more proficient at making his little 16 and 8 mm films.  He falls in love with a very Christian girl which seems rather improbable for a high school film nerd.  He films his class on an outing to the beach and while editing makes the antisemitic blonde jock Logan the hero of the film.  Obviously demonstrating his ability to create a mythic hero.  Since Sammy has been shown to be harassed by the Jew hating Logan this seemed rather improbable and maybe a little offensive.

 

The film ends with Sammy's visit to the legendary Hollywood director John Ford played by David Lynch.  For most film nuts this is the high point of the film, Lynch does seem to capture the gruff and abusive nature of Ford.

 

But I think what really hurts this film is the running time.  2 hours and 31 minutes is a very long time for any film much less this one.  In fact I've heard a number of people remark that this film is very long and very boring.

The screenplay was by Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner.