It's pretty much exactly what I expected it to be: a story about a young artist (Speilberg) discovering his passion for filmmaking and refining his art, set against a backdrop of a family falling apart. The performances are great and its technically a well-made film (it's Speilberg so that's a given) but it just feels like something I've seen before.
A lot of auteurs make films about their childhoods. Malick made The Tree of Life. Fellini made Amarcord. Truffaut made The 400 Blows. Speilberg tries to make this one of those great autobiographical films, but it just feels so so so safe. It's also too long for what it is.
That being said, there are some great moments of emotion in the film. However, this, to me, is a minor Speilberg. I'm happy that I saw it, though, as I understand the man...