Truffaut started with his autobiography and Spielberg is ending with it. But this really feels like a remake of Breaking Away. Its what you would expect from Spielberg… a soundly made film that exposes the driving force behind his work… becoming a goy… with the exception of Judd Hirsch and Seth Rogen — no one in the film is Jewish… I’m not advocating that every actor has to be what they are… that is the point of acting… but it speaks to Spielberg’s obsession with being mainstream…. and its not new… A good chunk of the cast including the star of Munich weren’t Jews either…just a side note. I feel like Sarah Silverman could have crushed the role as mom. But one of the most telling scenes in the film comes with his high school filmic yearbook. The anti semitic jock lectures him for making him look so perfect… and the young spielberg retorts I did it for you…. He has spent his career making nice films to please the goys… that scene nailed it! It’s a film that moves you from moment to moment but its not a great film. Breaking Away felt more authentic.
Sloves' Rants
I really wanted to dig this film, but…
An actor friend said, after seeing this film, “acting isn’t about crying— it’s about making the AUDIENCE cry.”
While I appreciated moments of the F’mans (looking at you, Judd Hirsch,) so much of the film was actors crying — and I confess, I shed nary a tear.
That is valid. I may have shed a tear when Seth Rogan was trying to befriend young Steven at the camera store.