Life Itself
Composite Score: 84.5
Featuring: Roger Ebert, Chaz Ebert, Gene Siskel, Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, Ava DuVernay, Errol Morris, Ramin Bahrani, Marlene Siskel, Sonia Evans, and A.O. Scott
Director: Steve James
Genres: Documentary, Biography, Movies
MPAA Rating: R for brief sexual images/nudity and language
Box Office: $815,645 worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Life Itself is a biographical documentary about the highly influential film critic Roger Ebert, based on his memoir of the same name. The film uses interviews with Ebert in the final days of his life interspersed with interviews from his friends and family, including major players in the film industry like Werner Herzog, Ava DuVernay, and Martin Scorsese, and archived clips from his show with fellow critic Gene Siskel to tell the story of Ebert’s life. The film serves as a celebration of the film critic while also giving audiences a glimpse into his personal life, offering a truly unique take on film criticism and end of life proceedings. Ebert’s continuing influence on the world of film and film criticism make this a must-watch for anyone interested in those worlds.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
This is a difficult documentary to watch because of how honest it is (and Ebert was) about his condition and impending death. By the time that filming began on the documentary, Ebert had already lost most of his jaw to cancer and surgeries, leaving him unable to speak without a computer, bound to a chair or bed, and eating via feeding tubes only. While his optimism and love of life remain for most of the film, watching such an intimate (and real) portrait of the end of someone’s life will never be an easy task. The love poured out by his fans, friends, and family helps to ease the pain of his passing, but the difficulties experienced by him and his wife keep the audience deeply aware of what the end result is for the entirety of the film. It is a mournful film at its heart, despite the celebration that it contains.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
For film lovers and film critics and filmmakers – current and/or aspiring – Life Itself should be required viewing. Ebert’s impact on the world of film and beyond are on full display in the film, as his life unfolds on screen. Samples of his writing, filmmakers whom he helped and supported, and his popular show with fellow critic Gene Siskel all get moments of showcase in this film, communicating Ebert’s unavoidable impact on the world we love so much. The truths of his life – loyalty to his fellow workers, passion for writing and film, honesty in his work, and love for his family – become the central themes of the film by the time it winds down, and they are all life attributes that the rest of us could also seek out in our own lives.
In its exploration of Ebert’s life and impact, Life Itself also sheds light on some pieces of film and criticism history that I was personally unaware of (and that you might not have known either). Fun moments of film trivia, cameos from various filmmakers, and anecdotes from his producers, his family, and his own memoir help to flesh out the film beyond just its themes and give it a story full of Easter eggs and juicy tidbits for cinephiles to pick up on. Even for people who just loosely enjoy films from time to time, this documentary makes itself highly approachable by telling a story that we are all too familiar with – one of aspiration, success, struggle, friendship, love, sickness, passion, and so many other things that make up the human experience. By telling the story of one man’s life, it captures universal truths about life itself and the people who live it and make it worth living.
Life Itself beautifully captures the story of legendary film critic Roger Ebert, using his life and death to showcase what it is that makes all of us want to keep on living, particularly at the movies, but in the other aspects of life too, earning it a spot among the greats. Watching such a heavy film is not an easy task to undertake, but it’s certainly worth it by the time the credits roll. It is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video for a few more days if you’re interested in checking it out.
