Life Itself

2014 biographical documentary

Rating: 15/20

Plot: The life and work of renowned Pulitzer Prize winning film critic Roger Ebert, a guy who was "born inside the movie of [his] life."

Roger Ebert changed the way I watch movies, and he changed my taste in movies. As a kid, I watched the Siskel and Ebert show and liked to see them on late night talk shows because I like to watch people bicker about anything. But then the Internet made Ebert's reviews accessible, and there was a time when I just devoured them. I didn't always agree with his opinions, but he opened my eyes to directors who were new to me and was actually the guy responsible for me having any interest at all in Buster Keaton. And I can't imagine my life without Buster Keaton. Without Ebert, I'm not sure I would have stumbled upon Roy Andersson or Werner Herzog as quickly. When Ebert died, it hit me a little harder than almost any other celebrity death, and I think it's because he had such an influence on how I love something that I love.

It's not surprising that that's a shared influence. Lots of big names credit Ebert with helping their careers. Herzog's in there talking about how Ebert is a "soldier of cinema," Man Push Cart guy Ramin Bahrani (who actually does a nifty Werner Herzog impression in this) tells a story that makes Ebert seem like the coolest guy ever, and Errol Morris even says he wouldn't have a career without him. Martin Scorsese, who also amusingly shares his ideas about Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (Ebert's lone screenplay), recalls a moving story as well. This isn't all just a documentary maker's attempt to drive Ebert into sainthood though. This covers less-than-heroic aspects of his life fairly as it moves along, one of those breezy sort of documentaries with loads of pictures and shambling jazz. This covers ground from gregarious Ebert's alcohol-fueled early career and his apparent obsession with boobs through those often ridiculous bickerings with television wife Siskel to some of his later decisions that one could argue weren't the greatest or fairest. This definitely doesn't hide the man's flaws. And it doesn't hide that the documentary subject is a dying man. Now, I'm a little skeptical about whether or not Hoop Dreams guy Steve James was making this documentary about Roger Ebert only to discover that he suddenly dying. My guess is that that's the story the two decided they wanted to tell. I don't even feel right about speculating about that sort of thing though. But unlike Siskel, who hid his illness from people and ended up hurting people, Ebert allows the camera to capture him during his most difficult and painful times. It's an honest look at his health problems and the emotions involved, the latter even more true with his wife Chaz. You get to see the guy slurping juice through a gastrostomy tube. Twice. I remember when Ebert lost the lower half of his jaw and then made sure everybody saw what he looked like without the lower half of his jaw. The bravery's commendable, probably even inspirational for those in the right contexts.

Of course, the parts that I and probably everybody else like most about this is the stuff with Siskel. Aired jarrings, outtakes, stories. They're described by somebody in this as "Siamese twins joined at the rear end," and their relationship is one of those happy accidents that producers frequently attempt to duplicate but that can never actually be duplicated. And when Siskel's wife read a letter from Ebert, I teared up.

If nothing else, this movie can remind a person that Leonard Cohen's music is capable of saving lives.