Spielberg

Spielberg is a 2017 HBO documentary directed by Susan Lacy that traces the life, influences, and career of Steven Spielberg. Rather than only revisiting his biggest hits, it builds a portrait of how his childhood, family relationships, and early fascination with cinema shaped the artist he became. Through interviews with Spielberg himself, his relatives, collaborators, actors, critics, and fellow filmmakers, the film moves chronologically across milestones such as Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, and Saving Private Ryan. The documentary highlights both his crowd-pleasing instincts and his more personal, risk-taking work, showing how those impulses often coexist in the same career. It is a behind-the-scenes overview of one of modern cinema's most influential directors, built as an expansive celebration of his legacy.

Reception was strongly positive overall, with critics generally agreeing that Spielberg is an absorbing, well-crafted look at one of the most famous filmmakers alive. Rotten Tomatoes lists a 91% Tomatometer score, while its critics' consensus describes the documentary as a behind-the-scenes look at Spielberg's talent that is “absorbing” even if somewhat uncritical. IMDb shows a 7.7/10 user rating, suggesting broad audience approval as well. Metacritic is more moderate but still favorable, with a 72 Metascore based on 15 critic reviews and a user score of 4.5. Review coverage often praised the film's access to Spielberg, its clip-heavy structure, and the strong lineup of collaborators and commentators. At the same time, some critics noted that the documentary can feel reverential, with less interest in challenging Spielberg than in celebrating him. In short, it was widely seen as informative, polished, and emotionally engaging, though not especially contrarian or probing.