Micah Schmidt’s review published on Letterboxd:
‘It feels like my life is going by so fast, but it’s not getting anywhere’.
‘The Fabelmans’ is about Sammy Fabelman (an impressive Gabriel Labelle) as he comes of age across several states and makes several amateur movies. But beyond that, the movie is about purpose, passion, pursuing what you love and prioritizing what you need. It’s about a common struggle to communicate, be it the tension between Paul Dano’s Burt Fabelman and his borderline psychotic wife, Mitzi (Michelle Williams, who I’ll talk about later), or the confusion of feelings in countless situations - school scenes are cheesy, but manage to capture the angst of teenagers while keeping the vibe of corny high-school movies that Spielberg clearly wants to emulate (and eventually subvert). Bullies have insecurities under the surface, romance is hidden among distractions and excuses, and Sammy Fabelman fails again and again to make his voice heard; he can only communicate through film.
This movie is also about a family falling apart, and although it’s far from a normal family I think it might as well have been. Spielberg captures the pain and awkwardness of family arguments, be it as a participant or a witness. The movie is not all sunshine and rainbows, but somehow it feels very warm throughout. Through uses of warm colors (typically yellow and gold, projectors and sunlight), steady, motivated but not emotionless cinematography, and an understated score, we witness a boy’s entire life go by in just two and a half hours (which could’ve been shorter in a couple places, but overall feels justified). And LaBelle gives a really convincing performance, selling the audience even on his cornier lines and more formulaic decisions. Dano is also at the top of his game, managing to portray a dad, just as our protagonist and non-verbal narrator saw him, who is slowly given more depth, his own goals and dreams and personality, just as said protagonist realizes his father has those things. Williams, however, is the acting highlight, never scared of alienating the audience with a character who is strange, sympathetic, deeply flawed and both guarded and vulnerable at different times (or even at once, on a couple occasions). We are invited - treated, even, to witness the exploration of a character who could easily have just been selfish, or crazy, or unfaithful, but manages to be all of those and a lot more. This movie, unlike the last one I wrote about, has more going for it than just the performances - but the performances, or at least the central ones, really are amazing. That does bring me to an issue I had, which were some of the side characters. A large part of the third act is crowded with poorly written high-schoolers who don’t seem to serve much of a purpose other than to develop our lead character, something that could’ve been done far more efficiently. It’s not just the characters - this portion of the plot itself feels a bit contrived and unnecessary.
That being said, a couple flaws barely hold back this terrific celebration of film, childhood, and perseverance. Every scene about the making of Sammy’s movies is breathtaking in the way it’s shot and acted, as well as just the way it showcases the process. As someone who wants to make movies some day, this part was my personal favorite, but even if you don’t feel the same as the protagonist you’ll have no trouble relating to him. And I can nearly guarantee that this movie will become a comfort film for me and many others.
