---
title: "The Fabelmans"
year: 2022
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-fabelmans"
fi1m_score: 76
critics_score: 80
critics_reviews: 25
published: "2026-09-20T08:44:55.769323+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-20T08:45:06.626470+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Fabelmans (2022)

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 2h 31m · MPA PG-13 · Drama

**Fi1m score: 76** · Critics 80 from 25 reviews

*In a sentence:* Every child of divorce has a version of this story; only one of them had John Williams on hand

> Spielberg’s account of his own childhood is honest about his parents, generous to almost everyone and finely acted by Michelle Williams and Paul Dano. It is also 151 minutes long and knows exactly how it wants to be remembered. Worth your evening, with reservations.

## Synopsis

New Jersey, 1952. Burt Fabelman (Paul Dano), an engineer, and his wife Mitzi (Michelle Williams), a pianist who gave up performing, take their small son Sammy (Mateo Zoryan Francis-DeFord) to his first film, *The Greatest Show on Earth*. The train crash terrifies him. He asks for a train set for Hanukkah and, with his mother’s help, films it crashing on his father’s 8mm camera so he can watch it without fear. Burt’s work moves the family, three daughters and all, to Phoenix, Arizona; his best friend Benny Loewy (Seth Rogen) comes too. The teenage Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle) shoots westerns and war films with his scout troop, films a family camping trip, and gets a night-time visit from Mitzi’s Uncle Boris (Judd Hirsch), a circus man with a warning.

## Review

Steven Spielberg, writing with Tony Kushner, is telling his own story with the names changed, and he does not pretend otherwise. Sammy Fabelman is a boy in New Jersey in 1952 who sees a train crash at the pictures and cannot sleep until he has staged it himself with a toy train and his father’s camera. That is the film’s first idea and its best: a child discovers that if he films the frightening thing he can control it. Everything that follows tests whether that is true, and *The Fabelmans* is honest enough to answer that it is not, quite.

The parents are the film. Michelle Williams plays Mitzi as a woman who gave up the piano for a family and has never stopped performing, in white dresses, in the headlights of the family car, at the keyboard at two in the morning while the children listen from the stairs. Paul Dano’s Burt is an engineer who loves her and speaks to her in the tone he would use to a circuit that has stopped working. Rick Carter’s Phoenix house is open-plan, glass and low walls, so that nobody in this family can ever quite get out of anybody else’s sight. Seth Rogen’s Benny, Burt’s best friend, is in every room too, and he is better fun than Burt, and the film lets us see that before Sammy does.

We expected Judd Hirsch’s Uncle Boris to be a warm turn by an old pro and instead found the scene frightening. Boris arrives for one night, sits on the boy’s bed and tells him, without softening it, what art will do to his family and what his family will do to his art. Hirsch delivers it like a sentence being passed. Spielberg, who has spent a career being liked, has put in his own film the argument that this may not have been worth it, and he does not cut away from it.

Janusz Kamiński lights the whole thing in the colour of a lamp left on in another room. The New Jersey cinema is amber, Arizona is bleached, and the beam of a projector falls across almost every important face. The film’s happiest stretch is the boy’s own films, a western and a war picture shot with his scout troop, and Spielberg shows the tricks: pinholes pricked in the celluloid so the rifles flash, dust kicked up for a stagecoach. Michael Kahn and Sarah Broshar cut the boy’s footage into the adult film so that we watch him learn to edit while they edit him, and the sequence in which he runs the camping-trip reels alone in his room, over and over, moved us more than anything with an orchestra behind it. We will not say what he finds. John Williams’s score is sparing, mostly piano, and knows to stay out of that room.

Then the family moves again and the film goes slack. The high-school stretch that follows belongs to a broader, jokier picture, and it runs for the best part of half an hour. We were bored, and we noticed we were bored, which in a Spielberg film is a rare and unhappy sensation. The whole is 151 minutes and would lose nothing at 125.

There is a harder complaint. Spielberg is candid about his mother and clear-eyed about his father, and he is kind to the boy. Sammy does some ugly things with his camera and with what it shows him, and each time the film forgives him within a scene. Every anecdote is also cut so that it teaches him something he will plainly use later, and after a while you can feel the lesson being lined up before the scene starts.

Set against his own work, this is the film he has been circling since [*Close Encounters of the Third Kind*](https://film.one/film/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind) and *E.T.*, the divorce he kept putting into other families’ houses. Here it is in his own, and it is the better for it. Watch it with a parent if you have one to hand. You will disagree afterwards about who Mitzi really was, and that is the point.

*Fi1m score 76, published 20 September 2026.*

### Reviews we read (25)

- **Radio Times** (5/5): The critic calls the film a dazzling and bittersweet movie memoir that Spielberg had to make, praising its brio and ability to make the mundane wondrous. It singles out the strong performances by Paul Dano, Michelle Williams and Gabriel LaBelle along with the nods to Spielberg's oeuvre. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-fabelmans-review/)
- **The AV Club**, Todd Gilchrist (A): The critic praises it as a fantastic, measured, and intimate look at Spielberg's upbringing and his development as a storyteller through film. It singles out the way the camera captures more than expected and the film's exploration of the relationship between art, audience, and personal truth. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/fabelmans-movie-review-steven-spielberg-michelle-willia-1849754099)
- **Empire**, Alex Godfrey (90/100, inferred): The review describes a hugely empathetic tribute to Spielberg’s parents and the birth of his filmmaking passion, full of tenderness, humour and humanity. It praises the cast, especially Michelle Williams, and calls the film a glowing, transcendent piece of joy. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-fabelmans/)
- **Little White Lies**, Mark Asch (90/100, inferred): The review hails the film as a late-career masterwork and bittersweet origin story that locates the roots of Spielberg's cinema in family trauma and artistic compulsion. It singles out Michelle Williams' extravagant performance as Mitzi and the film's meta-references to Spielberg's life and work for particular note. [Read](https://lwlies.com/festivals/the-fabelmans-first-look-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (90/100, inferred): Spielberg comes close to a personal best in this luminous ramble through his early years, described as piercing, rollicking and marvelous. The film is slick and orchestrated yet funny, stirring and sad, leaving a recognizable bittersweet ache. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-11-10/the-fabelmans-review-steven-spielberg-michelle-williams)
- **Screen Daily** (90/100, inferred): The review describes the film as one of Spielberg's most touching and mature pictures, a potent memory piece about an imperfect marriage delivered with compassion and restraint. It singles out the remarkable performances by Michelle Williams and Paul Dano for praise. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-fabelmans-toronto-review/5174338.article)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, John DeFore (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it a transporting, empathetic childhood memoir that vividly captures Spielberg's early filmmaking insights and his parents' divorce without nostalgia. Performances by Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, and Gabriel LaBelle are singled out for their compassion and heart. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-fabelmans-steven-spielberg-michelle-williams-paul-dano-seth-rogen-tony-kushner-1235217237/)
- **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (90/100, inferred): The critic calls it one of Spielberg’s most beautiful films, a tender family drama that looks back at his youth without sentimentality. She singles out Michelle Williams’ wounded, bittersweet performance as the emotional core. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-fabelmans-review-steven-spielberg-most-beautiful-films-2105420)
- **The Telegraph** (90/100, inferred): The Fabelmans offers a gloriously tender origin story for Spielberg’s life and work, led by a wildly charming performance from Gabriel LaBelle as the young filmmaker. It dramatises and interrogates his artistic beginnings with subtle grace in camerawork and performances. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/fabelmans-review-step-inside-steven-spielbergs-broken-home/)
- **Film Comment**, Devika Girish (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a generous, open-hearted self-mythology that uses cinema to redeem personal truths, with Michelle Williams' raw, uncapturable performance as Mitzi singled out as the emotional core that defies Spielberg's usual archetypes. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/light-touch-steven-spielberg-the-fablemans-review/)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (80/100, inferred): The film portrays movies as both a technical adventure and an emotional force in a young filmmaker's life. It is a lightly plotted bildungsroman touched with the madness of love, offering laughs alongside deeper resonance. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/11/21/steven-spielbergs-the-fabelmans-and-the-madness-of-love)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (Critic's Pick): The critic finds the film a tender autobiographical reverie with familiar Spielberg elements, praising Michelle Williams as the soul of the family drama. Spielberg softens some rough edges but delivers something wonderful in both large and small ways. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/movies/the-fabelmans-review-spielberg.html)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (70/100, inferred): The director crafts a loving, heavily filtered homage to his formative years and complicated parental relationships. It is an endearing self-portrait full of polished anecdotes that holds the keys to much of his filmography, though somewhat sanitized. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/the-fabelmans-review-steven-spielberg-1235368194/)
- **Vulture** (70/100, inferred): The critic finds it a baggy but spectacular work that grapples with autobiography versus myth-making, with uneasy yet exhilarating depictions of cinema's power and a rare portrait of a loving but failing marriage. It highlights sublime scenes amid awkward structure and the warm vulnerability in Spielberg's uncertainty about telling his own story. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/steven-spielbergs-the-fabelmans-movie-review.html)
- **Sight and Sound** (60/100, inferred): The critic finds Spielberg's autobiographical film disappointingly schematic and safe despite its candid revelations about the director's psyche. It singles out the restrained use of music and the insights into Spielberg's recurring themes of control and maternal reassurance for praise. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/fabelmans-spielbergs-candid-autofiction-disappointingly-schematic)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (30/100, inferred): Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film is a delightfully personal whimsy that has dazzled awards voters but plays more to the awards gallery than to his fans. It is the most lavishly mounted home movie ever made, with its great strength and fatal weakness being its personal focus. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jan/29/the-fabelmans-review-steven-spielberg-michelle-williams-paul-dano-lavishly-personal-love-letter-to-cinema)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (A): The critic hails it as one of Spielberg’s most moving and personal films, an introspective look at his childhood that reveals the origins of his cinematic magic. The cast, led by Gabriel LaBelle and Michelle Williams, and the recreation of filmmaking’s emotional power are singled out for praise. [Read](https://collider.com/the-fabelmans-review-steven-spielberg/)
- **/Film**, Chris Evangelista (9/10): The review highlights the film's warm, autobiographical nature and its exploration of the artist's lonely yet joyful path, praising the recreation of Spielberg's early films and the emotional depth, though noting some uneven performances. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1002613/the-fabelmans-review-one-of-steven-spielbergs-warmest-most-autobiographical-films-tiff/)
- **Polygon**, Robert Daniels (90/100, inferred): The review calls it one of 2022’s great movies and one of Spielberg’s best, a heartfelt semi-autobiographical work that puts the director’s emotions fully on screen. It praises the empathetic exploration of family dynamics and the power of cinema as a central theme. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/23347562/the-fabelmans-review-steven-spielberg-paul-dano-michelle-williams/)
- **Den of Geek**, Don Kaye (4/5): The review praises this intimate family drama as a poignant look at the forces shaping Spielberg, highlighting Michelle Williams' towering tour de force as Mitzi and the strong ensemble performances that make the emotional toll feel real. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-fabelmans-steven-spielberg-looks-at-forces-that-made-one-of-the-greatest-filmmakers/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Luke Walpole (4/5): The critic praises the film's cinematic quality and wry cynicism over sentimentality, noting how it explores filmmaking's dual role in revealing and distorting truth, while highlighting charming performances especially from the young lead. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-fabelmans-review/)
- **NME**, Alex Flood (75/100, inferred): The critic calls it a moving portrait of how a broken home formed one of cinema's great storytellers, praising the authentic emotional depth and the way Spielberg demonstrates cinema's power more effectively than similar films, with standout work from Dano and Williams. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-fabelmans-review-steven-spielberg-3387525)
- **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (75/100, inferred): The critic views the autobiographical film as a dense, essayistic victory lap that showcases Spielberg’s unique visual and thematic gifts despite feeling somewhat familiar. It highlights the inventive allusions to cinema history and the indelible supporting turn by Judd Hirsch. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2022/09/13/movies/fabelmans-movie-review-steven-spielberg)
- **Paste**, Jacob Oller (8.4): The review presents the film as a bittersweet ode to dedicating one’s life to art, balancing the joy and personal costs of creative ambition. It singles out the vivid depiction of the filmmaking process and the performances of Michelle Williams and Paul Dano for their emotional depth. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/steven-spielberg/the-fabelmans-review)
- **The Wrap**, Steve Pond (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a sweet, personal memory piece that improves as it goes, becoming deeper and more moving with a strong finish. Michelle Williams delivers one of her most powerful performances as the mother figure. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/the-fabelmans-film-review-steven-spielberg-michelle-williams/)

## Details

- **Director:** Steven Spielberg
- **Director:** Steven Spielberg
- **Writer:** Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg
- **Cinematography:** Janusz Kamiński
- **Editor:** Michael Kahn, Sarah Broshar
- **Music:** John Williams
- **Production design:** Rick Carter
- **Producer:** Kristie Macosko Krieger, Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg
- **Cast:** Michelle Williams as Mitzi Fabelman; Paul Dano as Burt Fabelman; Seth Rogen as Benny Loewy; Gabriel LaBelle as Sammy Fabelman; Mateo Zoryan Francis-DeFord as Younger Sammy Fabelman; Keeley Karsten as Natalie Fabelman; Alina Brace as Young Natalie Fabelman; Julia Butters as Reggie Fabelman
- **Runtime:** 2h 31m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 23 November 2022
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2022); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Winner, 2022)
- **Budget:** $40 million
- **Box office:** $46 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wAKUa487aw

## Where to watch in the US

- Peacock: streaming, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd
- Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-20.*

Also available in: AE, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, IE, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PH, PL, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2023: Best Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actor (nominated); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated)
- Golden Globes 2023: Best Motion Picture – Drama (won)

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© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-fabelmans