Synopsis
Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.
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Cast
- Gabriel LaBelleSammy Fabelman
- Michelle WilliamsMitzi Fabelman
- Paul DanoBurt Fabelman
- Seth RogenBenny Loewy
- Judd HirschUncle Boris Podgorny
- David LynchJohn Ford
- Jeannie BerlinHadassah Fabelman
- Julia ButtersReggie Fabelman
- Keeley KarstenNatalie Fabelman
- Sam RechnerLogan Hall
Recommendations
- 100
Collider
Spielberg has given us all so much magic over the course of our lives, and The Fabelmans becomes yet another Spielberg masterpiece, but this time, by showing us how this magic came to be in his own life. - 100
The Playlist
It’s Spielberg’s most personal film, one that gorgeously revives the memories of his childhood and youth with a lavish sense of wistfulness and an aptly Hollywood-ized, fable-like touch. - 91
TheWrap
It feels a little too light and even occasionally uncertain in the early going, but picks up steam, becomes deeper and more moving and absolutely nails the ending. - 91
The Film Stage
The warm, witty Fabelmans is Spielberg at his most revealing, and watching him reflect on his past is downright extraordinary. - 90
Slashfilm
With The Fabelmans, Spielberg is grappling with his own mythology, and re-examining it, too. This isn't exactly how Spielberg's life unfolded; it's the Hollywood version, and that's fitting. - 90
Screen Daily
Semi-autobiographical and dedicated to his late mom and dad, the film is a potent memory piece guided by remarkable performances from Michelle Williams and Paul Dano, who are asked to walk a delicate tonal tightrope, delivering a portrait of an imperfect marriage that’s heartbreaking in its tenderness. - 83
IndieWire
I’d say this playful yet nakedly personal coming-of-auteur epic was trying to split the difference between memoir and crowdpleaser, but it seems even more determined to reconcile the two: What else would Steven Spielberg’s ultimate divorce movie be about if not the hope for some kind of reconciliation? - 83
Entertainment Weekly
Because it's Spielberg, it's all beautifully, meticulously rendered, and not a little glazed in wistful sentiment: an infinitely tender, sometimes misty ode to the people who raised him and the singular passion for cinema that shaped him.
