Full disclosure here ... I had to stop watching after half an hour. The situations and dialogue were so consistently stilted and lacking in authenticity that after enduring this artificiality for as long as I did, I harbored no hope or expectation that things were going to improve. Perhaps they did -- but I nonetheless surrendered. Look, going in, I was certainly not expecting a "gritty" film; some degree of sentimentality and/or nostalgia was clearly the point. But I've seen sentimentality handled much more credibly than it is here. Given the other ratings and general enthusiasm that's been expressed for this film, I seem to be in the minority. But if in general you find Mr. Spielberg to be a good (indeed, great) story-teller, but not the most authentic of artists, then this is not going to be your cup of tea.