I won't get on my soapbox about the idiocy of giving a movie like thie one star. Come on. I agree generally that this is a pretty ordinary movie. If, indeed, this is what Spielberg's childhood was like, it opens pathways to understanding how his craft developed. Sammy is the most well developed character and it is his world that we are pulled through. He has a mother who is probably bipolar, living in a depressed state most of the time. His father is totally driven by his work and likes to thing that his earning power makes him a good father. We don't know how these two hooked up, but it isn't pleasant to watch. His excuses for her are signs of a lack of willingness to be a bit fragile and engage in her life. Seth Rogen as the "uncle" and the affectionate one offers her a bit of passion. Sammy has tunnel vision and blames his mother for her cheating on his father. I love that one of the greatest characters in the world, David Lynch, has a cameo as John Ford. I loved that final scene with Sammy standing there being drenched in directorial celebrity. If it weren't Spielberg's homage to his youth, the naysayers would be a little more generous. Finally, it is much too long.