The Fabelmans - 7 nominations

 

Best Achievement in Directing Steven Spielberg

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) John Williams

Best Motion Picture of the Year Kristie Macosko Krieger (producer) Steven Spielberg (producer) Tony Kushner (producer)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Michelle Williams

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Judd Hirsch

Best Original Screenplay Steven Spielberg Tony Kushner

Best Achievement in Production Design Rick Carter Karen O'Hara

What a sweet film.  We follow young Sammy from the first time he sees a film (and by the way, here's an episode of my podcast 2 Movie Jews where Rabbi Yechiel Hoffman and I talk about the movies that made us love movies) through to Sammy's schooling and what we now know as the "making" of a young Steven Spielberg.  I swear that each film Spielberg has made in the last two decades has been billed as "Spielberg's most personal film ever," but with this one, I think it's actually true.  Even the title of the film - as brilliantly deciphered by The Bagel Report's co-host Esther Kustanowitz - is a permutation of Spielberg's own name.  FABLE = story = another word for the Yiddish word spiel; and MAN = typical Jewish end of a last name (as in BerMAN) or berg or stein.  Fabel-man : Spiel-berg. Got it?  Good.  Moving on.

We go with Sammy as he makes his amateur films, rolling the camera everywhere he goes and setting up movie shoots, casting his friends and family. It is through his constant shooting that he discovers his mother is having an affair with his father's best friend "Uncle Bennie," and his mother begs for him to keep her secret.  That's a lot for a little kid.  

When the family moves to Arizona for his father's work, Uncle Bennie follows the family there, which ultimately leads to the break up Sammy's parents' marriage.  Sammy's new school is mildly anti-Semitic, and he finds his first girlfriend, who coincidentally would love for him to find Jesus.  Sammy is finding his voice, finding his way, and despite tensions with his mother, she supports his artistic path and encourages him to follow him dreams. In a brilliant appearance by Judd Hirsch as Sammy's Uncle Boris, Sammy learns about entertainment as an actual possible career.

I liked the movie very much.  It's beautifully crafted filmmaking, and Spielberg on young Spielberg is a great experience.  I enjoyed every minute.  Will this film be memorable 10 years? I don't think so.  Will it crack the Top 3 list of Spielberg's films? I also don't think so.  But if you want to watch a nice movie and have a respite from the traditional heavy Oscar films, this is a good choice.