Roger Ebert was never afraid to speak his opinion, no matter how in the minority. He was quite nostalgic for the past, yet eager and open-minded for the future. At the time, he was one of the few critics to appreciate the groundbreaking magnitude of Bonnie and Clyde, feel what enthralled others with blockbusters such as Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and became the first major critic to take advantage of the internet (constantly writing blogs about film, his life, and the world in general). He expressed his mind in an emotionally sophisticated way that never felt condescending to his readers. Where other film critics became repulsed by new decades of film, Ebert lacked such bitterness and bias; always finding joy and entertainment in the newest forms of cinema up until his death. Roger Ebert quickly grew to become my favorite and most respected film critic; a role model whose work helped shape my own blog, and whose life and philosophies are explored in the 2014 documentary Life Itself.
As a big admirer, it might not come as a surprise to find I already knew most of what Life Itself had to offer about Ebert’s life. I’ve read many of his reviews and blogs, knew all about his love/hate relationship with Siskel, and own many of his written books including Life Itself; which contains the memoirs of what Ebert considered significant parts of his life. In fact the documentary leaves out (most likely for pacing reasons) a good deal from the memoir, including a heart-wrenching story involving Ebert and his pet dog Blackie that seemed quite pivotal in his life. Yet viewing (instead of reading) all these aspects together on the big screen, brought nothing but a source of high entertainment to watch.
It helps that parts of Ebert’s life are stringed together through a series of different friends, family and other critics all giving there two-cents worth of comedy and sentiment. It’s quite enjoyable watching them discuss how such a quality critic as Ebert could create something as…interesting as Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (Martin Scorsese getting the best zinger in at how the film definitely went “Beyond” him). Even more heartwarmingly humorous was the segments about the complex relationship between Gene Siskel and Ebert; how they could range from bitter rivals to quarrelling brothers to the closest of friends who truly cared for one another. Yet the funniest moment came from the discussion on Pauline Kael, a film critic who’s influenced both Ebert and film criticism in general. Most of the presenters speak positively of Kael until they get to one of Ebert’s old friends who colorfully comments: “I didn’t know Pauline Kael, I don’t know anything about Pauline Kael, but F@#k Pauline Kael! Roger was the best critic out there.” There’s also a very heartwarming scene involving Scorsese discussing his relationship with Ebert. Despite being critic and director, Scorsese took Ebert’s praise and criticism as means of encouragement and guidance; pushing the director to continue and create. The two are shown to have had a very genuine friendship, displayed best in a tremendously bittersweet scene where Scorsese (who looks on the verge of tears) expresses his gratitude towards Ebert.
There is however new material presented in Life Itself that I (nor do I presume many others) knew about until seeing the film. Most of it consists of the last few weeks before Ebert’s death along with some home videos of his personal life; such as Ebert celebrating Christmas with his family (where he hilariously receives a Lady Gaga toothbrush from his granddaughter) and taking a nature walk with his grandson. There’s also a video of his wedding, while his wife Chaz discusses to the viewers how they dealt with the consequences of being an interracial couple (she reveals how some of Ebert’s family rejected their relationship much to his dismay). Now Ebert was never one to hide himself after cancer destroyed most of his jaw (along with the ability to speak, eat and drink normally) and neither does the film; revealing some of the more unpleasant aspects of his life as a result of the disease. One particular scene shows Ebert having a tube stuck right up his throat in order to receive liquidized nutrients (the all too painful look on his face says just what the viewers are thinking). The scene is painful to watch, yet minuscule compared to the pain Ebert endured throughout his final years; which scenes such as these help give better comprehension to the viewers.
The final section of the film consists mostly of Ebert’s final days, told in a gloomy, depressing way that reveals his disheartening last emails before death, leaving me exhaustingly sad as a result. I feel creating such a depressing mood to be a mistake; living with cancer may have been hellish for Roger Ebert, but I very much doubt he would’ve wanted his last days to be viewed as a sad man slowly, yet painfully dying (there’s even an earlier scene where he claims dying to be the last exciting adventure of life). Ebert’s body may have been broken, but his mind remained sharp as ever until his death; his blog being proof, which gave him a voice where his body couldn’t. Reading his last years of reviews, posts, and opinions I didn’t visualize a dying old man, but instead an energized critic still in his prime, enjoying family, movies and life to the fullest.
