Review of The Fabelmans

I just returned from seeing the new Stephen Spielberg film, "The Fabelmans" which is loosely based on the early life and teenage years of Spielberg, the Wunderkind! The anticipation I had for seeing this film was enormous, and I felt so underwhelmed and almost bored by the entire production. To quote Norma Shearer from the 1939 film, "The Women", "Oh Stephen, what a bore". That's how I felt about this film. The first hour was so unfulfilling, it was like watching paint dry on a wall. I'm a huge Spielberg fan and "Schindler's List" is my all time favorite film and a brilliant one at that. "The Fabelmans" lacked a brilliant score, although it was scored by John Williams. Bland would be a word to describe the soundtrack, except for top 10 hits of the 1960s. The brilliance of a Janusz Kaminski cinematography was also lacking in this film. Paul Dano, as the father, was very good in an underplayed role. Michelle Williams, a brilliant actress, was miscast and had no chutzpah or any sign of Jewishness needed for the role. The rest of the cast was mediocre at best.

I'm sure Spielberg put his heart into this film but I left with a big void and felt totally underwhelmed by this film.