Last Sunday afternoon was cold and grey, so we opted to stay in and watch a movie, finally catching up with Spielberg’s loosely semi-autobiographical family drama The Fabelmans. What a treat it turned out to be!
If you like a Spielberg movie – and I definitely do – then you’d probably enjoy this movie. His trademarks are all there. Child actors with acting ability? Check! A sense of wonder? Check! Threats to everyday life, seen and unseen? Check! A carefully constructed sense of time and place? Check! Subtle and not so subtle emotional manipulation? Of course – this is Spielberg – check!
Spielberg has created a quiet marvel, a nostalgic movie on movies combined with a coming of age story about a young boy confronting internal family dramas, external societal prejudices, and all the regular pressures of growing up in a fast changing world. The story isn’t over the top adventurous in the manner of the Indiana Jones films, or harrowing like Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List, or as scary/heart-stopping as Jaws or Jurassic Park, but it has moments of (small scale) peril, as well as many moments of warmth and humour – that distinctive and special Spielberg sensibility!
Yes, there are slightly cloying and schmaltzy moments, and one or two eye-catching/eccentric cameo turns, but it all adds up to a very satisfying experience. The best elements (for me) were the ones where the young boy is figuring out how to be a moviemaker, and the sheer delight he has in making his images work, figuring how to tell a story, and yes, discovering the power he has in moving an audience. Long and leisurely, I’d say watch The Fabelmans if you get the chance – highly recommended, and a feel good winner, rainy afternoon or not!
On top of what I’ve written above, I particularly enjoyed the period detail cars used in The Fabelmans – they weren’t especially flashy, mostly station wagons and other regular vehicles, but I loved them seeing them. Goodness, do I love old cars! And that makes for a good excuse to dot a few old car photos throughout this piece! Rust buckets or shining restorations, I just can’t resist.
Yes, we all know only too well how polluting cars have been, and yes, one day in the not too distant future they’ll likely all be electric and that’s very good – but will they be as thrillingly stylish as earlier eras? Fossil fuels bad, but (many, not all) old fossil fuelled cars had great design. I mean, c’mon, and with apologies, (and commiserations to current owners) but Teslas aren’t too much fun to look at, are they? Not even (or especially) when hawked from the White House lawn. Those cyber truck thingies? Yikes…
Anyway, I’ll drive off now, happy to have shared a movie recommendation, and happy to hear back from you if you’ve seen The Fabelmans and choose to share a comment – is it a winner? Do you have a favourite Spielberg movie? (Hard to pick, not that it really matters – I love ET, Jaws, Duel and Bridge of Spies, parts of Close Encounters are amazing… the Indiana Jones movies are, mostly, so very entertaining, and I really, really enjoyed The Fabelmans – yup, hard to pick!)
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
OldPlaidCamper 
cool 😎 I used to have a ’62 Valiant 😉
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I’m going to see if the Valiant is still resting in that field out west in Alberta this coming summer – perhaps I can rescue it?!
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I enjoyed the Spielberg conversation here, pc, he is a prolific artist, to be sure. And also fun to see your collection of old cars. I recently watched for the hundredth time one of my old favorites on a day I was sick–Some Like It Hot. We are so lucky in our era to have movies. Cheers to you and movies and all the different kinds of art we have around us.
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I think you’ve just chosen our next Sunday afternoon movie! Might make it a double bill with Tootsie… If I was dating, and don’t tell Mrs. PC, Tony Curtis just edges out Dustin Hoffman for me…
Have a great weekend!
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Great old car scene in the beginning of SLIH, too. Have fun!
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I’m with you on the old cars appeal. There’s something very cool and character filled about a rusted old paddock bomb. And that movie definitely sounds worth checking out. Thanks for the review Adam. Happy weekend!
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Thanks, Miriam! Yeah, those old cars always appeal, and I start to dream of restoring one – then I remember my car mechanic skills go no further than changing a tyre!
I hope your week is going well!
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An ad for The Fabelmans intrigued me a long time ago when it came out. Maybe I can get it from the library. These cars remind me of our Camera Club outings to a wrecking yard which was always a club favourite. I loved the lines, the texture and the hood ornaments!
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Let me know what you think if you catch up with it – Spielberg in full nostalgia mode!
Yes, old cars always make for a good subject – I can’t help but think not too many new models will get future photographers excited?!
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I watched the Fabelmans last night. Brilliant! I loved Sammy’s passion and creativity right from the start. Mom was an enigma, but I read she had depression, and probably bipolar disorder. The family was labeled dysfunctional, but the love was apparent. Judd horse’s scene blew me away, warning Sam of being torn apart, but must pursue his passion. Spielberg felt deeply and saw in his family what most people would miss, maybe that is why there was a pause or longer look on those gazes between Benny and the Mom. I am halfway through the movie again, and did not take them too seriously, but on second look they make a comment that is so spot on. I.e. leaving all this stuff at home and come to school and be normal. Laugh out loud moments? Mom sitting in the bathroom discovering empty toilet paper rolls, both behind her and above her.During a family argument, Mom jumps up and exclaims, “I am going to therapy!” Monica, the Christian girl who was out to convert Sam, “feel Christ in you”. Sad moments?Mom taking them out to see a tornado in manic mode, I figure.
Dad at campground left alone to light the fire because he is a little too boring. Letting his wife go, getting a divorce because he loved her. Very interesting scene at the end with the bully, where the guy begs Sam not to tell others that he cried, and he agrees no, he won’t tell,…unless he puts it in a movie. He would step in if the friend would go overboard. The irony of a Christian yelling, in a most hateful way, that the jews killed “his lord.” Yes, I loved this movie. Right away, I was looking at light and wondered about filters, but they shot using different films, 35mm, 16mm, Super8 that caught that time period. I remember the grills of some of the cars, too.I didn’t realize the significance of the scene where the mother steps through the paper then Sam looks through the hole. From this, Stephen Speiberg learns how to make shot gun fire flash on screen.I am going to finish the movie now, and “watch the horizons..” (something I learned in art and photography classes.
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I’m glad you caught up with this movie and enjoyed it – so many small delights and telling moments. I think Spielberg directs the tiny scenes with as much care as the larger, more orchestrated set pieces. I’ll certainly watch this one again at some point!
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It depends on the angle you shoot it from, or viewpoint. Worm’s eye view or bird’s eye view.
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I’m not much of a Spielberg fan, but I’m sure that this flick would be warm and entertaining, especially on a chilly afternoon. You’ve put together a fine array of cool, fairly modern, chariots!
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I can understand not being a Spielberg fan – he can lack subtlety and be over-saccharine – but he pulls me in most times, a sucker for his skilful manipulations, dammit!
Yeah, old chariots seem far more interesting than most of what’s churned out these days (even if they work better and pollute less…)
I hope your week is going well!
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Loved At The Movies with the wonderful movie review and fantastic shots of old cars, especially the San Remo Hotel photo!🙂 I will be adding The Fabelmans to my watchlist. So many favorites by Spielberg with Jaws, E.T. and Jurassic Park at the top of the list. Looking forward to the hockey playoffs and hoping again for a Toronto Maple Leafs championship!🙂
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Thank you! If we ever visit SF again, I think that hotel would be a great place to stay. Last time, we ordered coffee and ice cream and pretended we stayed there!
Can’t disagree with those Spielberg choices – will never forget the tension and jump scares the first time I saw Jaws, a great movie!
The Leafs for the cup? Ok!
How about Everton still picking up points? Safety beckons!
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Good news! I put the movie on hold at the library.
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I’d be happy to hear what you think of it!
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Always glad to see someone sharing love for the Fablemans. I was so excited for that to come out, Spielberg finally doing a biopic. Love that you take the care to point out his hallmarks in your post. Spielberg for me, especially prime 70s-90s period, always has these layers of technical and visual narrative mastery. Raiders is such a fun romp, but every time I see it I notice yet another layer of symbolism or story telling that is purely done visually. Up there for me are
Raiders, Close Encounters, and Empire of the Sun. I also truly appreciate how you give another window to films through cars. Thanks for sharing!
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Enjoyed The Fabelmans far more than I’d expected – Spielberg is pretty reliable like that! Also, thanks for the nudge on Empire of the Sun. I haven’t seen it since it was released, and only have fleeting memories of it, liking it well enough but not to rewatch – I’ll catch up with it again sometime soon!
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