I will be the first to acknowledge and be forever grateful for the immense contribution the genius of Stephen Spielberg has brought to our movies through his incredible talent. But that truth can coexist with the fact The Fabelmans feels like we are being subjected to an act of self-indulgence that is borderline embarrassing.

His childhood story is not so extraordinary that it warrants over two hours of our time. The reviews, especially by critics, have been generous, and this is possibly due to the respect and credibility his work has earned him ahead of this semi-autobiographical tale. Because as an unbiased cinephile, I simply could not see this film as objectively deserving of any high accolades. The storytelling is predictable, the high school scenes unoriginal and just overall dull.