The semi-biographical movie about "definitely not me" by an established director is a stock convention at this point. However, this particular one takes a more peculiar approach. Granted, his parents did ask him to throw their dirty laundry onto the screen, but was it necessary for him to present them in such a pitiful manner?

It is degrading by itself to portray your father losing his wife to none other than Seth Rogen of all people. And don't get me wrong, the sudden realization of a child that his parents aren't just eternal obelisks of virtue and stability is a clear theme of the movie. But he presents nothing for Paul Dano to work with. It's like Spilberg couldn't figure out whether his father was aware this entire time and just endured or was truly just an oblivious cuckold. Ending the whole movie with this sad glance of a man about to jump into a noose, wishing he could have acted sooner. Acted sooner on what, though? Spielberg tries his hardest to shield his mother by pretending it was all "platonic," while presenting her mannerism and frustration as some kind of BPD. And this is supposed to be the "complex people" he tried to show?

You wish that the movie was just about his passion for movies and how his upbringing influenced him. But even there, he indulges in melodramatic musing, implying that caring about something is like a burdensome cross a person has to carry and choose between that and his family. And you can either relate to that or roll your eyes like I did. What is undeniable is that the movie still has that prime Spielberg energy and he definitely put his heart into almost every scene. Although I initially felt despondent, it all shifted dramatically thanks to the finale. Showing pure class in how to elevate the movie with an ending, it was nothing short of a perfection.