Eileen and Paul Goldfinger, Editors, Blogfinger.net
We enjoyed this movie very much. It is set in the 1950’s in New Jersey, Arizona and California. It is about a family, and during the two hours, we discover so much about their lives together. They are a Jewish family, but that is not the main theme nor is this a biography of the amazing movie man Steven Spielberg. Yet it contains some elements that resonate with his life.
After seeing a train crash in his first film, young Sammy Fabelman is amazed and mesmerized, and the experience ignites a desire to make movies which transports him over the years and never abandons him.
There is another genius in the story and that is Sammy’s dad Burt who is a brilliant scientist climbing the ladder of success working with the earliest computers, but he is rather dull as a character in the family’s story.
Mitzi, Samy’s Mom is a live-wire with 4 children, and she does her jobs well as wife and mom, but she could have been a concert pianist, and she is full of creative energy. Mitzi is the most fascinating character and she has a secret.
We meet a close friend of the family named Bernie, some other relatives, and then, in a brilliant but brief role, Judd Hirsch, now in his 80’s, appears as Mitzi’s uncle Boris. He is a former circus performer. One of the best parts of the movie is his interaction with Sam regarding personal passions and the need to pursue them.
There is a terrible surprise within the family that contributes to its breakdown. The characters are so fascinating , and how they interact with life and with each other is remarkable.
As Sammy grows older, his abilities as a movie maker grow too.
There is no sex, religion, politics, or violence in this film; it is just totally absorbing as you watch the dynamics of the story play out on the screen. Plot lines include anti-semitism, a secret kept and revealed, life styles and values during the fifties which we can relate to, Sam goes to his prom with his Christian girl friend, and what happens when he deals with high school bullies. And then there are his increasingly complex interactions and successes with the art of film making.
There are lessons to be learned by observing the Fabelmans and thinking about their situations. Discuss these elements with your spouse or close friends, because you can find wisdom as you dig deep.
Especially look at how Sammy discovers the power of movies not only to tell stories but to influence people and to reveal truths seen through the lens, especially using tools such as editing and music.
We loved the disclosures about Mitzi as to how she relates to her family and how she must reveal truths about herself. Michelle Williams once played Marilyn Monroe in a movie.
Go see The Fabelmans. And don’t read reviews until you see the film and think about it yourself, with family and friends.
There is a soundtrack. Here is John Williams composition called “The Fabelmans”. We will post some more.
David: My mother often took me to the movies in the fifties. I liked the shoot-em-up cowboy and Indian flicks or the gangster movies..
But I really disliked all the talking. As a kid, those conversations meant little to me. When there was music I enjoyed it , coming from a musical household.
Early experiences with going to the movies can be looked back upon with amusement. I was taken in the 1950s to see a rerun of “The Wizard of Oz” in a small Trenton, NJ, theater. It was a Saturday matinee and filled with parents and kids. Whenever a song began, a loud groan would arise from the kids. I recall my comment after the film that there was “too much singing.”