The surprising and entertaining life of renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert (1942-2013): his early days as a freewheeling bachelor and Pulitzer Prize winner, his famously contentious partnership with Gene Siskel, his life-altering marriage, and his brave and transcendent battle with cancer.
That [Siskel and Ebert] weren't very nice to each other might be the too-easy takeaway of outtakes of their on-set interactions. James allows that relationship to be more complicated and vital.
– Lisa Kennedy,
Denver Post,
18 Jul 2014
fresh:
No less than James's capital punishment documentary At the Death House Door, this asks us to think long and hard about what it means to die with dignity.
– Ben Sachs,
Chicago Reader,
24 Jul 2014
fresh:
The film's core is footage shot during the last four months of Ebert's life, when he had lost most of his jaw and was unable to eat or speak. It's hard to see him in this state, which makes his frequent cheerfulness and humor all the more remarkable.
– Mick LaSalle,
San Francisco Chronicle,
5 Jan 2015
fresh:
If you aren't moved by Life Itself, you ought to have your heart examined.
– Ann Hornaday,
Washington Post,
5 Jan 2015
fresh:
What comes through most in Life Itself, a film named after Ebert's 2011 memoir, is his great, open-minded vigor.