I didn't see the trailer for The Fabelmans 'til after I'd seen (and loved) the film itself, but the trailer made me think, "that looks like trash".
Hearing that Steven Spielberg was making an ode to cinema - a subgenre of film we're oversaturated with post-pandemic - I was a little underwhelmed by the idea.
I was expecting a sappy, overdramatic piece about how film is literally the most important thing ever.
The trailer promises this version of the movie.
Featuring lines like "movies are dreams", a wide-eyed child amazed at the cinema, and the out-of-place "mom got a monkey?!"
The actual movie that we get is so much better. Okay, well, the first twenty minutes of the film is melodramatic as Steven Spielberg's self-insert character, Sammy, sees a screening of The Greatest Show on Earth and is immediately transfixed.
Which is even more interesting because I've seen The Greatest Show on Earth and lemme tell you, the title is very ironic.
The film properly kicks into gear when we jump ahead in time, and now Sammy is a teenager - having spent his formative years making films with his buddies.
I think from here, it's easier to relate to someone having a passion rather than just doe-eyed amazement.
At the heart of the film is Sammy's relationship with his parents. Spielberg's real-life parents both passed away in the last few years, and this is very much a tribute to them.
Mr and Mrs Fabelman aren't holier-than-thou perfect characters but both deeply flawed people, whose marriage is tested constantly throughout the film.
In a way, the film is about the moment you realise that your parents are human beings themselves. Sammy gains a new understanding of their wants and needs, and unfortunately, they aren't always pretty.
Gabriel LaBelle, who plays teenage Sammy, does an amazing job of playing a dorky, loveable teen who is driven but still unsure of himself deep down.
A lot of praise has been heaped on Michelle Williams and Paul Dano, who play the parents, and - I'm not saying I thought they were bad - I'm just saying that said praise is noticeably absent from this review. They're very specific performances which feel deliberate but I'm not 100% sure they worked for me.
Overall, despite minor flaws and a rough opening act, The Fabelmans is simply incredible.
It's funny in a way I didn't know Spielberg could be, and the ending to this film is not only the best scene of the year. The final shot is so good I could spend another three paragraphs talking about it, but I'll let you see it for yourself first.
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