For his love of movies— for his love of life itself
“It would not be a stretch to say that Mr. Ebert was the best-known film reviewer of his generation, and one of the most trusted. The force and grace of his opinions propelled film criticism into the mainstream of American culture. Not only did he advise moviegoers about what to see, but also how to think about what they saw.” —New York Times, obit
Yesterday, I attended a movie matinee, one of my favorite things to do in life. I enjoy many film genres, including reboots of childhood science fiction and fantasy series. As I watched Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, I wondered, “How much would Roger Ebert like this movie and what would he have to say about it, and more importantly, what did I miss?” Yes, Ebert could identify subtle nuances in a film or extrapolate on a theme or the filmmaker’s craft that made me want to see it even more, or again with new eyes. If he didn’t like a movie, it didn’t keep me from seeing it instead, it challenged and engaged me.
I wanted to form my own opinion, write my own review and someday sit in a chair across from him and talk about our love of movies.
Every film critic has their trademark or gimmick for rating the films they review, ranging from the most common — number of stars — to intact or smashed tomatoes, or in Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert’s case, the rival Chicago film critics, iconic thumbs up or down. For me, it’s number of Kleenex. I can cry at comedies as easily as a drama. I’ve been described as tenderhearted by those who know me and I am able to easily empathize with characters and their stories.
I always make sure I have Kleenex with me when I go to the movies. (Note: I’m from Wisconsin so facial tissue is a euphemism. It’s Kleenex, whether I use that brand or not). My rating scale is one-to-four Kleenex. Life Itself, the documentary tribute to Roger Ebert, his love of movies, and of life itself, was more than a four-Kleenex film. I cried in the beginning the middle and the end.
Steve James, the film’s director, whose documentary Hoop Dreams, was championed early on by Ebert whose review and enthusiastic thumbs up, helped promote the distribution of the film. Many filmmakers share James’ story, including the documentarian Errol Morris who dedicates his most recent film, The Unknown Known to Roger Ebert. German filmmaker Werner Herzog did the same.
James with Ebert’s soul mate and wife Chaz, plus producers, Martin Scorsese and Steven Zaillian have made a film that doesn’t gloss over and lionize Ebert, instead the film portrays his humanity, his shadow, and the flaws that coexisted with and informed his art as a film critic and his political point of view, passion and integrity as a journalist. The film, Life Itself , is based on the bestselling memoir of the same name. From his website rogerebert.com:
Roger Ebert became film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967. He is the only film critic with a star on Hollywood Walk of Fame and was named honorary life member of the Directors’ Guild of America. He won the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Screenwriters’ Guild, and honorary degrees from the American Film Institute and the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Ebert was an early adopter of social media and saw the benefits of talking openly about his life and his beliefs. His blog and collaborations with film critics, both established and upcoming, and his own film festival, Ebertfest in his hometown of Champaign, Illinois helped make him even more accessible to filmmakers, filmgoers, film critics, fans, and more. For me, the “more” is that we shared one more thing in common, we were both friends of Bill W. Ebert’s blog post about his alcoholism and recovery in A.A., spoke to me personally as many of his film reviews did.
Like my wish to sit in a chair across from Ebert and review a film, I also fantasized that one day I would sit in a chair across from him at a 12-Step meeting and review our lives, like he reviewed the movies.
I’ve been a fan of Ebert and Siskel’s and watched each incarnation of their show, Sneak Previews and Siskel and Ebert- At the Movies. Many of their production decisions, including the order of their names in the title were decided by a coin toss. It frustrated Ebert to no end that Siskel often won the tosses, especially when it came to naming the show since Ebert came first alphabetically and Roger was the one awarded the Pulitzer Prize for film criticism.
Siskel & Ebert
See this film, it tells the story of Roger Ebert’s early years first as a reporter, then as the editor of his college newspaper, and his long career at the Chicago Sun-Times and his life as a reporter holding court with friends at the neighborhood tavern before he got sober and met and married his wife, Chaz. It chronicles his career as a film critic and his impact on the movies and the men and women who make them and the cinephiles who watch them.
This is an intimate film. Roger and Chaz invited Steve James into their lives as Ebert and his family coped with his cancer and its devastation on his body, including his ability to speak. Ebert never lost his voice however, through the help of the computerization of his speech, sign language between Ebert and Chaz, and his prolific writing both as a film critic and his personal narrative, he continued to review movies and talked about life itself. He answered questions James posed to help with the film until it became too difficult. Ebert decided it was time to take a “leave of presence.”
Roger Ebert: At the Movies
Note: All Images from the film’s official website: