Life Itself

Life Itself is a documentary about the life and death of Roger Ebert, arguably the most famous American film critic of all time. Based on Ebert’s 2011 memoir of the same name, this intimate film was made during the last five months of his life, and bounces back and forth between a fly-on-the-wall account of his final days and a chronicle of his life told in the traditional biography-style (film clips and talking-head reminiscences from his friends and colleagues). The balance of screen time devoted to each aspect of the film is perfect, and director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Stevie, The Interrupters) structures and paces the film exquisitely. Unlike so many recent documentaries, the movie never feels rushed, and James’s experienced eyes know exactly which aspects of his subject’s life are worth more than just a casual glance.  Ebert may not at first seem like a subject worthy of a nearly two hour movie, but the film gives us far more than the bullet points of a famous person’s life. As the title suggests, the film is a meditation of what makes life worth living, which was indeed the point of Ebert’s surprisingly entertaining, insightful, and uplifting book.

The movie focuses far more on Ebert’s television career and his love/hate relationship with rival Chicago critic Gene Siskel than the book does. This is an appropriate choice, since the various movie-review TV shows Siskel and Ebert hosted, and their controversial contributions to the craft and perceptions of film criticism, are what Ebert is most known for. The film features clips and outtakes from the show as well as detailed stories from many who were involved, including the show’s executive producers and, most importantly, Gene Siskel’s widow Marlene Iglitzen. We also get a firsthand understanding of Ebert’s relationship with his wife Chaz, and how finding a life partner at age 50 altered every aspect of his existence. 

James is an apt documentarian for this subject, because Ebert and Siskel were early champions of his brilliant, acclaimed film Hoop Dreams (1994); their early promotion of that documentary was almost singlehandedly responsible for getting it seen at Sundance and distributed to a wide audience. Many other filmmakers speak on camera about how Ebert’s championing of their work, and his constructive critiques, have positively affected their careers. These testimonials range from independent directors like Ramin Bahrani (Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, Goodbye Solo), and Ava DuVernay (I Will Follow, Middle of Nowhere) to major names in filmmaking like Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, and Martin Scorsese. Their stories, along with the reflections of rival film critics like Time’s Richard Corliss, subtly drive home the point that Ebert was less a masterful film critic and more of a powerful and passionate advocate for quality movies, as well as a committed populist who firmly believed that all audiences deserve (and can understand) great cinematic art. 

It is fitting that the man who brought attention to thousands of great films and helped the careers of so many important filmmakers ends his life as the subject of a captivating, well-made, and inspiring picture. Ebert says at the beginning of the film that, "Movies are like a machine that generates empathy. They enable us to understand the dreams and fears of others.” That’s a statement with which I wholeheartedly agree, and Life Itself measures up to that standard.