The life and career of the renowned film critic and social commentator, Roger Ebert.The life and career of the renowned film critic and social commentator, Roger Ebert.The life and career of the renowned film critic and social commentator, Roger Ebert.
- Awards
- 25 wins & 33 nominations
Gene Siskel
- Self
- (archive footage)
Stephen Stanton
- Roger Ebert
- (voice)
Marlene Siskel
- Self
- (as Marlene Iglitzen)
Donna La Pietra
- Self
- (as Donna LaPietra)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaContrary to popular belief, the film is not narrated by Roger Ebert. Vocal impersonator Stephen Stanton provided his talents while mimicking Ebert's distinct sound to absolute perfection. Stanton also voiced Ebert on Robot Chicken (2001).
- Quotes
Roger Ebert: Look at a movie that a lot of people love and you'll find something profound no matter how silly the film may seem.
Featured review
A love story about accepting mortality. Powerful and wonderful.
Above all, Life Itself is a love story. It didn't matter who it was about, it ends as a love story about dealing with mortality. You can imagine that Roger Ebert would've been proud to have been at the centre of such a heartbreaking and inspirational story. Steve James' documentary opens on Ebert's reason for loving cinema. It's about learning empathy for those sharing this journey of life with us. It's something that Life Itself certainly does for Ebert. I never knew much about him before his death. I live in England so I never even heard of him until I found the internet and then he was only a name or the picture on his old website. He was someone people loved to bring up whether to agree or disagree with his opinions. I don't think I even read one of his reviews until after he died, all I knew where his Oscar predictions and the fact he claimed Synecdoche, New York the best of the decade.
And so, Life Itself gives me my first glimpse of the brotherhood between Siskel & Ebert. Before the film becomes a love story of Ebert and his wife Chaz, it's a love story between two men. The film takes their most electric moments and it fills you with the fiery passion for cinema, something that's too easily diluted over time. The film's montages are full of a warm energy, and they're wonderful to watch, even if the storyline can be a little muddled. You wonder on why they focus on certain details at particular points, but the reasons emerge. It's difficult to see Ebert in his last months with his jaw skin drooping, but his smile beams through and it's great to see such an attitude. At its best the film is pure poetry, and the tributes at the end made me weep. Accepting death brings a wind of peace. I wish it had more structure so it could be a favourite, but it's powerful stuff as it is. Very revealing documentary that digs comfortably into a deeply personal vulnerable spot.
8/10
And so, Life Itself gives me my first glimpse of the brotherhood between Siskel & Ebert. Before the film becomes a love story of Ebert and his wife Chaz, it's a love story between two men. The film takes their most electric moments and it fills you with the fiery passion for cinema, something that's too easily diluted over time. The film's montages are full of a warm energy, and they're wonderful to watch, even if the storyline can be a little muddled. You wonder on why they focus on certain details at particular points, but the reasons emerge. It's difficult to see Ebert in his last months with his jaw skin drooping, but his smile beams through and it's great to see such an attitude. At its best the film is pure poetry, and the tributes at the end made me weep. Accepting death brings a wind of peace. I wish it had more structure so it could be a favourite, but it's powerful stuff as it is. Very revealing documentary that digs comfortably into a deeply personal vulnerable spot.
8/10
helpful•153
- Sergeant_Tibbs
- Jul 11, 2014
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Життя, як є
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $153,875 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $810,454
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $131,411
- Jul 6, 2014
- Gross worldwide
- $815,645
- Runtime2 hours 1 minute
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
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