An autobiography in everything but name alone, 'The Fabelmans (2023)' is Steven Spielberg's reflexive look at his own life that charts a discovery of his love of film across a ten-year period that sees his parents slowly but surely drift apart while desperately trying to keep their family together. The picture even goes so far as to fairly faithfully recreate Spielberg's real-life adolescent Super 8 efforts, as well as being highly informed by members of the filmmaker's family to ensure as much accuracy as possible in every aspect (even when it comes to the layout of the various family homes featured). Though the piece is filtered through its protagonist's passion for movies, it's very much about the dissolution I previously described and the difficulty everyone has coming to terms with it. It is, in essence, a coming-of-age movie that just so happens to be about movies, rather than a movie about movies that just so happens to focus on a coming of age. It's a small yet significant distinction that takes a while to become apparent, as there's a general lack of focus that results in an experience that often doesn't feel like it knows exactly what it wants to be. It's bookended by segments that are specifically curated towards its movies-as-magic sensibilities, but it plays out as a more straightforward biopic elsewhere. To be fair, the idea that filmmaking is used as a tool to understand life and express feelings is a potent one. It's conveyed relatively well, especially in a handful of scenes that showcase the protagonist essentially disassociating by imagining how he'd frame the action in front of him if he were directing an adaptation of it. It's when the flick plays around with its form that it's at its most successful, but a lot of it feels like fairly standard stuff considering it's coming from one of the best filmmakers of all time. To be fair, it's far better than a couple of the stalwart's recent stumbles and it is entertaining for its majority. It just feels like it's lacking something, and it only ever connects so much. It's a bit cheesy at times, which is perhaps to be expected, and it's also a bit too long for what it is. The narrative is really unfocused, which prevents it from being as powerful as it could have been and also causes some palpable lulls in enjoyment. Still, it's typically engaging throughout and, as I mentioned, it can be a fair bit of fun. The performances are all really solid and the direction is generally as good as you'd expect. Perhaps it's a little self-indulgent, but I feel like Spielberg has earned that at this point. It clearly means a lot to him and there's something special about the fact that he wanted to share this with his audience; it doesn't feel like it comes from a place of narcissism, more like it comes from a place of gratitude and joy. The director clearly loves that he gets to do what he loves, and he also clearly loves that we love that too. In some ways, it's as much of a tribute to his fans as it is to his family, and that's pretty neat. Despite its issues, it's a solid sentimental family drama that has some standout scenes and just feels quite... nice. Sometimes, that's all you want.