Roger Ebert & Gene Siskel
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert in screening room for photo shoot for People Weekly, June 13, 1984
(Kevin Horan)
If anyone ever deserved a feature-length documentary as their cinematic eulogy, it was Roger Ebert. Of course, "Life Itself" didn't specifically start out that way. Director Steve James began filming while Ebert was still alive, though in the midst of the years-long tug-o-war with cancer which had already cost him his power of speech and which ultimately took his life, in April of 2013.
Less than eight months later, this film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, soon enough to act as something of a salve for those still grieving his loss. But it turns out to be much more than a testimonial to the man who had more impact on Americans' perspective toward movies than any other single person. It's also a revelation of the life behind the byline and beyond the TV show, a portrait of a recovering alcoholic, a secular humanist, and a Midwestern stoic facing his own mortality in the company of the woman he shared the last decades of his life with, the indomitable Chaz Ebert.
A documentary about someone dying could be soul-shatteringly sad or, even worse, maudlin. James, whose career Ebert helped jump-start with a rave review of 1994's "Hoop Dreams," avoids those pitfalls by alternating scenes of Roger's harrowing medical treatment with often humorous recollections of his youth and his five-decade career. After being hired at the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967, one of Ebert's first reviews was a brief rave about a film then titled "I Call First," but which would be later released as "Who's That Knockin' at My Door." It was the first feature by a 25-year-old director named Martin Scorsese, and Ebert's appreciation of it wouldn't be the last time he gave a boost to a deserving up-and-comer.
Scorsese, documentarian Errol Morris ("Gates of Heaven"), and director Werner Herzog all chime in with remembrances of Ebert. Probably the most important person in Roger's life, though, after Chaz, was Gene Siskel. It was the TV series "Sneak Previews" and "At the Movies," which put Siskel and Ebert (and their legendary thumbs) across the aisle from each other and inaugurated a new concept in film criticism. Sometimes criticized themselves for their reductive "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" system, Siskel and Ebert nonetheless inspired millions of Americans to think differently about film. More than a few of those millions went on to become film critics.
James doesn't ignore the sometimes nasty rivalry between Ebert and Siskel (who died in 1999 following surgery for a brain tumor), and he captures some moments of genuine tension between Roger and Chaz. Still, this isn't meant as a warts-and-all depiction. Frankly, one senses that if it were, there wouldn't be that many warts to show. Anyone who shares Ebert's love of movies and who followed his career will be exceptionally moved by "Life Itself," but anyone who appreciates a well-lived life should be touched as well.
***
"LIFE ITSELF"
Grade: A
Rating: R
Running time: 115 minutes
Playing at: Opens Friday, July 4 at Living Room Theaters.
Cast and crew: Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert, Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, Errol Morris; directed by Steve James
The lowdown: The life (and, eventually, death) of influential film critic Roger Ebert is captured in this heartfelt, moving, and sometimes very funny documentary by Steve James ("Hoop Dreams").