Streaming

The Fabelmans Is Already Streaming

It’s time to watch the film — before it starts winning Oscars left and right.

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Michelle Williams in Steven Spielberg's 'The Fabelmans.'
Universal Pictures

Steven Spielberg has been making movies for almost half of a century, but 2022’s The Fabelmans marks the first time he’s incorporated details of his personal life and childhood into a movie. The film, which was released in theaters on Nov. 23, 2022, is a semi-autobiographical drama about the director’s upbringing and the beginnings of his career in Hollywood. It was met with largely positive reviews from critics, especially for the way in which Spielberg and co-writer Tony Kushner blended the reality of the director’s early life with fiction. Most importantly, though, The Fabelmans is a joy to watch. It has everything you really want in a movie: a sprawling coming of age story, beautiful cinematography and period costumes, and Steven Spielberg’s careful hand guiding the camera — not to mention Michelle Williams’ incredible performance.

As awards season has progressed, The Fabelmans has proved to be one of the top contenders. The film took home both Best Director and Best Motion Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes — and on Sunday, it’s up for a whopping 7 Oscars, including Best Picture.

Not everyone caught the film when it bowed in theaters last year — but luckily, there are more than enough ways to stream The Fabelmans now. Keep reading for the details.

Where Can You Stream The Fabelmans?

There are a handful of ways to watch The Fabelmans at home, but you’re going to have to pay for it. The film’s website will direct you to every option, including popular VoD services like Amazon Prime and Apple TV. On both platforms, you can choose between renting the film or buying a digital copy.

Because The Fabelmans is a Universal Pictures movie, it will also likely end up on the subscription streaming service Peacock, as Universal has a deal with the service to stream its movies on Peacock. The actual timeframe for a film’s Peacock debut can vary, though, and Universal has yet to announce when fans can expect to see it debut on the streaming service.

Given Universal’s deal with Peacock, it’s unlikely that the movie will be on HBO Max or Netflix anytime soon.

What Critics Are Saying About The Fabelmans

According to a majority of critics, The Fabelmans is everything you want a Spielberg movie to be, and it’s already a top contender for Best Picture at the Oscars. Matt Zoller Seitz wrote at RogerEbert.com, “That the movie leaves deep questions unresolved and presents all the related philosophical and aesthetic issues in a playful way (the final shot is a sight gag!) makes the experience quintessential Spielberg. You think he's giving you everything and that it's all right there on the surface. But the longer you sit with it, the more you realize how many gifts it contains.”

Manohla Darghis at The New York Times lauded Michelle Williams’ performance as the mother, and used the film to explain Spielberg’s entire career until now. “Spielberg has always been someone to take seriously. The proof has also always been onscreen, and still is. He will always err on the side of entertainment, I think, and will invariably try to make us weep so that he can dry our tears. I’ve chafed against that impulse of his, at times, even while falling for his movies. But it’s what he does, beautifully.” Basically, if you want a movie just like they used to make them, this is the one to stream right now.

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