The story travels from 1952 to 1966 in New York, Arizona, and California. The film is a coming-of-age story of a young Jewish boy who is captured by motion pictures as a way to release his creative energies.

Burt Fabelman (Paul Dano) is a lives-in-his-head electrical engineer working for companies like RCA and General Electric on the cutting edge of the computer age. His wife, Mitzi (Michelle Williams), was a former classical pianist who is the artistic yin to Burt's scientific yang. They have four children: Sammy (Mateo Zoryon Francis-DeFord/Gabriel LaBelle), Reggie (Birdie Borria/Julia Butters), Natalie (Alina Brace/Keeley Karsten), and Lisa (Sophia Kopera). In addition, Burt's "best friend," Benny Loewy (Seth Rogen), is a constant presence in the family.

Sammy is an undersized, fearful child. The first movie he sees is traumatic, but the family's movie camera his interest in creating a reality separate from his real life. The film follows Sammy's growing passion for filmmaking against growing internal tensions in the family. The difficulties in Sammy's life escalate when the family moves to California just before his senior year in high school. By the end, Sammy finally receives his father's muted "blessing" for his passion.

As one would expect, the film's story is both told and filmed exceptionally well. In addition, humor reduces the bite of the more complicated conflicts. Francis DeFord and Gabriel LaBelle are excellent as Sammy. The movie's most effective scene for me was Mitzi's face as she watches a short film that Sammy made only for her.

The problem for me was how much this is seen as a biopic of Steven Spielberg. Spielberg movies always contain spectacle, which leads to the question of what is "truth" in any Spielberg movie. I suspect this movie is only partially authentic but very entertaining.