Fasten your seatbelts as here we go with my review of “The Fabelmans”, Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical paean (some like the word homage better) to his adolescence and family.
I so wanted to love this film, but alas, I came away only liking it at a 3 out of 5 stars level.
Michelle Williams as Mitzi Fabelman is absolutely luminescent! By far, the best thing about this picture. She is followed very closely by Paul Dano as Burt, the long-suffering husband and newcomer Gabriel LaBelle as Sammy (the Steven character.) They truly are the heart and soul of the picture but are overshadowed by Michelle’s performance.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about Seth Rogen. Perhaps it was the script? Don’t know, don’t really care as his storyline was so weak, and in all honesty, did not add anything. IMHO, it was a phone-in. And, at 2 hours and 26 minutes, it suffered from Spielberg’s penchant for lingering on a scene or topic way too long. We get it, Steven, move on! Edit 26 minutes out, and it might have risen to a 3.5 star level.
Respectfully submitted by Quoth the Maven, Always More, your erstwhile critic.
