Movie Review: Life Itself

Rated R

120 minutes

Directed by Steve James

I never really had much of a connection with Ebert, the reviewer or the man. I only entered Ebert & Roeper (a topic not covered in this film) after Ebert's surgery. I rarely read his reviews, as the written form of reviews, frankly, was boring to me at 10. And when I saw Ebert Presents At the Movies, I was mad that he got all the "big" movies to review (a comment that got my dad to complain about that on the show's page, which in turn, Ebert responded to him). 

But, I still had an immense amount of respect for him. I mean, dude was behind shows talking about movies, which was the coolest at 8. Also, when Ebert Presents showed clips of Siskel & Ebert, I enjoyed him and his personality. I was upset when he passed, but I didn't really know him. So this documentary was a chance for me to be enlightened about Ebert. And I have to say, it enlightened me quite a bit.

Life Itself is an unbiased look at Ebert's life from one of Ebert's buds, Steve James. The fact that it's an objective look at Ebert, from his alcoholism to his sometimes unpleasant demeanor on the set of Siskel & Ebert, while fitting in sweet moments of him being a nice grandfather and a caring man when Siskel passed from cancer. This movie could've easily been an overly affectionate, unobjective, and sugary shrine to Ebert out of the fact that he's dead. Instead, we see the darker side, and the documentary becomes all the more loving and a worthy tribute to his life.

I liked the choice of interspersing the glum last 4 months period with the more positive earlier life stuff with excerpts from Life Itself, the book, which is accomplished through very smooth editing. It's able to show us that even through all these surgeries and personal problems, he was still very much the same guy he was 2 decades prior. 

The choice not to have the interviews littered with big names was a very nice choice. It showed us that even though he supported all these big names, he was a strong advocate for the little directors, the people who didn't have name recognition and were just unknowns before Ebert, and by extension of this film, Steve James, brought them to the attention of the public. The biggest name in here is Martin Scorsese, who was discovered by Ebert, so it fits rather nicely.

Life Itself is a caring documentary, about a man who wasn't the best personally, but defined movie criticism. It's unlikely any movie critic will ever define criticism again, so I'm glad Ebert was here. He was the one who, by creating a chain reaction, provided a big step in my loving of film. I'll always have an appreciation of the man, one I never had a deep memory of, but one who contributed a chunk of the person I am right now. RIP Ebert.

4/5

A-