I feel like I dodged a bullet. A nostalgic love letter to himself and his love of movies could have been too schmaltzy to bear in the hands of Steven Spielberg. But he shows admirable restraint and makes instead a film that any movie lover should be able to appreciate.

It's way too long. Let's get that out of the way. I know this was a very personal story for him, and the relationship between his parents clearly had a formative effect on him and his art. But I frankly didn't care all that much about the marital woes of Steven Spielberg's parents, though it does give Michelle Williams a chance to shine in a lovely performance. No, what I came for, and what kept me engaged, were the scenes showing Spielberg's budding talents as a filmmaker, and also those showing the prejudice he faced for being Jewish in a homogenous California suburb.

"The Fabelmans" also has maybe the best ending of any movie this year, and by itself is worth the price of admission. It also boasts perhaps the best and most random appearance of David Lynch in the history of movies.

Grade: A.