Oscars Best Picture nominee profile: Steven Spielberg reflects on his roots with ‘The Fabelmans’

After six decades of continually proving his mettle as one of the most revered directors in film history, Steven Spielberg has finally brought his own origin story to the big screen. Through “The Fabelmans” character Sammy Fabelman (Gabriel LaBelle), the legendary filmmaker not only recounts how he discovered his calling but also how his bumpy childhood influenced the development of his distinctive eye for storytelling. With the film’s nomination for the Best Picture Oscar, Spielberg has solidified his status as the academy’s most-recognized producer and tied William Wyler’s record of having 13 Best Picture nominees in his directing filmography.

SEEStephen Colbert goes long with Steven Spielberg in unprecedented interview

Set primarily in the early 1960s, “The Fabelmans” is a coming-of-age story in which the adolescent lead character’s relationships with his parents drive the entire plot. From an early age, Sammy bonds with his free-spirited mother, Mitzi (Michelle Williams), due to her boundless support of his artistic dreams. Although he periodically gravitates more toward his straight-laced father, Burt (Paul Dano), as he matures, he only manages to truly discover his own sense of self by landing somewhere between the two extremes.

More from GoldDerby

• Oscars Flashback: Relive the moment in 1976 when Steven Spielberg learned he wasn't nominated as director for 'Jaws' [WATCH]

• Billboard 200: Karol G makes history as 'Mañana Será Bonito' debuts at #1

• Billboard Hot 100: Every #1 song of 2023

Spielberg, who won the Best Director Golden Globe earlier this awards season, is competing in three Oscar races as the writer, director and producer of “The Fabelmans.” His history with the academy dates back to 1978 and consists of 22 competitive nominations that have so far led to Best Director wins for 1993’s “Schindler’s List” and 1998’s “Saving Private Ryan” as well as a Best Picture victory for the former. He shares his producing bid for “The Fabelmans” with Tony Kushner and Kristie Macosko Krieger, the latter of whom was also recognized alongside him here for “Bridge of Spies” (2015), “The Post” (2017) and “West Side Story” (2021).

SEE2023 Gold Derby Film Awards ceremony: Watch 20 exciting acceptance speeches by Michelle Yeoh, Colin Farrell, Austin Butler …

Kushner’s additional role as the co-writer of this film’s original screenplay brings his writing Oscar nomination total to three, as he previously picked up bids for adapting the scripts for Spielberg’s “Munich” (2005) and “Lincoln” (2012). “The Fabelmans” received two more above-the-line nominations for the respective lead and supporting performances of Williams and Judd Hirsch (who briefly appears as Sammy’s great uncle, Boris). Hirsch has one previous acting Oscar bid to his name for his featured turn in “Ordinary People” (1980), while Williams has four (lead: “Blue Valentine,” 2010 and “My Week with Marilyn,” 2011; supporting: “Brokeback Mountain,” 2005 and “Manchester by the Sea,” 2016).

“The Fabelmans” is also up for this year’s Best Production Design and Best Score prizes, with the latter nomination constituting frequent Spielberg collaborator John Williams’s 48th in the category and 53rd overall. The nonagenarian has previously won for scoring Spielberg’s “Jaws” (1975), “E.T. the Extra Terrestrial” (1982) and “Schindler’s List,” as well as “Fiddler on the Roof” (1971) and “Star Wars” (1977). The film’s production design nominees, Rick Carter and Karen O’Hara, have seven past bids between them, with him having won for “Avatar” (2009) and “Lincoln” and her for “Alice in Wonderland” (2010).

This article is a part of Gold Derby’s “Oscar nominee profile” series spotlighting the 2022 Best Picture nominees. 

PREDICTthe 2023 Oscar winners through March 12

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?

Best of GoldDerby

• Watch 4 exclusive interviews with Best Documentary Feature Oscar nominees: ‘All That Breathes,’ ‘All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,’ ‘Fire of Love,’ ‘Navalny’

• Watch 4 exclusive interviews with Best Costume Design Oscar nominees: ‘Babylon,’ 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ ‘Elvis,’ ‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’

• Watch exclusive interviews with Best Animated Feature Oscar nominees: ‘Pinocchio,’ ‘Puss in Boots,’ ‘Sea Beast,’ ‘Turning Red’

Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.