Life Itself Review

by A.J.

Last year on April 4^th, just before my birthday, I received the news that Roger Ebert had passed away. I was saddened more than I thought I could be by the death of someone I never knew. I did meet him once at a book signing in New York; I wrote about that experience and my thoughts and feelings about Roger Ebert in my tribute last year. I only met him once, never knew him, but I will always miss him.

This year, just before my birthday I received in the mail a messenger bag, t-shirt, and gift card to Steak ‘n Shake from the Life Itself production team for a small donation to the Indiegogo.com campaign to cover post production costs of Life Itself, the documentary about Ebert by filmmaker Steve James.

I was able to watch Life Itself streaming online in concurrence with its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this past January, an additional perk of contributing to the production. I’m not sure at what point during the documentary I realized that I would not be able to give this film an “objective” review. Fortunately, as Ebert was apt to remind everyone, there is no such thing as an objective review.

It seems obvious that Steve James would be the one to make this film. James’s 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams was championed heavily by Siskel and Ebert. The Criterion DVD edition of Hoop Dreams contains their initial enthusiastic review, a special segment in which they accuse the documentary wing of the Academy Awards of corruption after Hoop Dreams was not nominated for Best Documentary (it turns out they were right), and the special show in which Ebert names Hoop Dreams the best film of the 1990’s.

Life Itself takes the structure of Ebert’s memoir of the same name beginning with the straightforward linear of childhood, youth, early career, before beginning anecdotes, jumping to the present, then back to the past. There are interviews with friends and colleagues and filmmakers. Roger Ebert was able to become friendly, if not friends, with filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog and others. He helped a few personally when he could and they tell their stories too. There is, of course, a portion about Gene Siskel and the creation of the show that made them famous, even to people that didn’t follow critics. I do wish there was more about the show and its different versions, especially its final incarnation on PBS, and also how he dealt with being famous for being a film critic, a relatively normal job.

If you are a fan of Roger Ebert, or movies, or journalism, you will enjoy this documentary. It is a fitting tribute and portrait of a life that touched and influenced the lives of people he never meant and influenced movies and filmmakers even though he never directed one. As you can imagine the tone of the documentary shifts as it covers Ebert’s illness, the loss of his voice, and his death. After he lost the ability to speak, Roger Ebert reinvented himself in the most wonderful way with his website, his blog, and then twitter. Even though he could not speak, you could read his words and there was his voice. Now that he is gone I can still hear his voice.

Roger and Me

I met Roger Ebert once at a book signing in New York City in 2005. After telling some very interesting stories and answering questions from the crowd, he signed my copy of his book, Great Movies II, and my DVD of Citizen Kane, for which he recorded a commentary track. I told him that I cited his commentary in a paper I had to write about Citizen Kane. I told him that I’ve been watching At the Movies since I was 9 and I’ve seen a number of movies based just on his (and Richard Roeper’s) reviews. He told me, “I hope we don’t lead you astray.” I also told him that I was a film student and I hoped to one day make a movie that gets "Two Thumbs Up". He said, “I hope so too.”

I won’t go so far as to say that I felt like I knew Roger Ebert, but I did think of him as a mentor. I felt like if I ever met him again we would fall easily into a conversation about movies and in talking about movies we would be talking about ourselves too. I always felt like that would happen. The drive home from work was extra-long last Thursday after I heard that Ebert had passed away. I thought about why I had that feeling. Roger Ebert’s movie reviews were not just reviews. They were first person personal essays, the key word being “personal.” He was telling you about his experience with a movie, how it made him feel, and what it made him think about. Whether he was on television or in print he did not speak with authority but with knowledge and enthusiasm, and his enthusiasm was such that his words could become poetic. His tone was always casual, never didactic. He was able to capture some of the magic that is the movies.

I watched At the Movies, in all its forms, every chance I had. It was difficult since the local television stations would move the show all over their schedule. In college, when I often slept till noon or later on weekends, I made myself wake up  early on Sunday mornings to watch Ebert and Roeper talk about the week’s releases. I sat on the couch in my pajamas eating cereal and watching that show just like I did when I was 9. The internet made things easier. I could watch At the Movies online in case I missed it on TV, and I could read Ebert’s print reviews on his website. The backlog of his reviews, going back to 1967, was a treasure trove for me. I really enjoyed reading his reviews of notable movies from years past. I even enjoyed reading the bad reviews for movies that I liked; it was still great prose. When I had to write papers for my film classes, I tried to write like Ebert. When I started to write movie reviews, I tried to write like Ebert, without fear and always with honesty.

I learned so much from reading those reviews, watching him on TV, and reading his blog. I learned how to talk about movies and how to write about movies. I learned that the real job of a film critic is not to stand on a box and declare what is good and bad, but to recommend whether or not a movie is worth someone’s time and money. I learned that movies are made to entertain but they can also touch your heart and move your soul. Movies can be art. I learned that it’s okay to have an opinion, no matter who else agrees or disagrees. If you like a movie that no one else liked, or hated the most popular movie of the year, it’s okay. I learned that "best of" lists shouldn’t be taken too seriously but can still be fun. I learned that over time your opinion about a movie can change, and that’s okay too.

I know for sure that I’ll always be a little sad that my childhood hero is gone. I know for sure that Roger Ebert influenced countless film critics, journalists, filmmakers, and moviegoers. I know for sure that the two best parts of going to the movies are when the lights dim and the screen begins to move, and the conversation afterwards. I know for sure that I’ll still read his reviews online and in books. I know for sure that I’ll still try to write like him when I write about movies. I know for sure that when everyone else disagrees with me about a movie, I’ll think of Ebert and not tailor my opinion to anyone but myself. I know for sure that I’ll be going to movies or watching them at home for the rest of my life. And I know for sure that I have four people to thank for my love of movies and the major role they play in my life: my parents and Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.

Thank you, Gene.

Thank you, Roger.