LIFE ITSELF – The Review

The 2014 march of outstanding documentaries about artists continues on with the best of the impressive group of feature films. But this artist’s means of expression are not the brush as in TIM”S VERMEER or still photography as seen in FINDING VIVIAN MAIER or cinema itself (along with many superb illustrators) in JODOWORSKY’S DUNE. Nope, this artist’s (and after viewing this film, that title is not up for debate) means of expression were words with typewriters, computer keyboards, and his own voice utilized instead of brushes on canvas or cameras. The subject of Steve James’s (HOOP DREAMS, THE INTERRUPTERS) new feature documentary is celebrated, Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert. He had been a fixture on TV screens for decades, discussing and debating current movies usually with Gene Siskel, so you may think that you know everything about good ole’ “Uncle Rog”. But though he left the “aisle seat” over a year ago, this new work shows us that as enthralling as the films he wrote about since the late 1960’s, many of them couldn’t match the heartbreak, triumphs and wonders of LIFE ITSELF.

The first shot of the film is a glorious view of that palace of entertainment delights, the Chicago Theatre on State Street, its long expansive marquee lit in tribute to the Windy City staple. Director Steve James takes us back several months as he begins the documentary (based on the autobiography) with Ebert back in the hospital after another health crisis. Because of their friendship Ebert and his wife Chaz have given James intimate access to their lives. Health problems had plagued him for over a decade when complications from papillary thyroid cancer necessitated the removal of his lower jaw, robbing him of the ability to eat, drink, and speak. I recalled his long leave of absence from his TV show and his return with a full hour on Oprah Winfrey’s popular syndicated daytime show. Her crews were not permitted to film Ebert having lunch, but no restraints are on James here. The scene of him taking nourishment may upset viewers, but the film’s subject takes it in stride, smiling, joking, and giving that famous “thumbs up”. As Bette Davis suposedly remarked, “Growing old is not for sissies”, and as is vividly shown, neither is illness. Always grinning, this bit of trouble won’t keep him down (just watch his eyes sparkle as he plots an unapproved trip to the cinema).

But this is not just a film filled with doctors and hospitals. James double back to the beginning with photos of the young lad from Urbana and quotes from Ebert’s book read in a warm, folksy manner by actor Stephen Stanton (often mimicking Ebert’s old vocal mannerisms). We’re then introduced to the first of Ebert’s three great loves, the newspaper. You’d think dark, blue newsprint ink was running through his veins. His big childhood heroes were not the sportsmen or cowboys but the wise-cracking reporters of THE FRONT PAGE (he called the sound of the printing presses “romantic”). A stint as one of the youngest editors of the University of Illinois daily newspaper the Illini lead to a job in the big leagues with the Chicago Sun Times. James gives us terrific interviews with former colleagues who wax nostalgic about grabbing “scoops” and bringing in stories under the wire. And then there’s the stories that occurred after the paper was “put to bed”, of endless hours at seedy, colorful watering holes. The downfall of many newshounds almost took Ebert as we learn in his own words, and from pals, of his struggle with the bottle and his long journey to sobriety (he had only gone public about this a few years ago). During his travails he never lost his affection for the fifth estate and wrote for his beloved Sun Times to the very end (actually several pieces were posted after his passing).

It was at his Sun Times job that the road to his second great love began. As the film relates, Ebert’s film reviewing career started as a lucky fluke. The position opened up and he got the assignment. The newsman took to the cinema gig immediately and became the first reviewer to win the Pulitzer in 1975. Before the big prize, he even scored a screen credit as the writer of Russ Meyer’s campy cult flick BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS in 1970 ( the two continued to team up over the years). Local TV soon came calling (we see a dull, dry Ebert with a “deer-in-headlights” look introducing Ingmar Bergman flicks on the Chicago PBS station). One of those PBS execs had the bright idea of mounting a film review show that would pair him with his rival from the big Chicago Tribune paper, Gene Siskel. James treats us to the stilted uncomfortable footage from that initial pilot. The two maintained a professional, not personal, relationship as they competed for movie news and interviews. We see the outtakes from a session recording show promos with the two insulting and nitpicking at each other like schoolyard enemies. We learn that Ebert wanted to be in control, but Siskel was the wild card, the free radical in the TV mix (one of their old show producers called Gene “Roger’s ‘wasically wabbit'”). But something about the duo clicked with the public (I’ve always thought they had a comedy team visual dynamic similar to Laurel & Hardy or Abbott & Costello) in a way that copycat critic pairings never did. The late night shows came calling and we’re treated to highlights from their many stints on the coach with Johnny Carson (including the infamous Chevy Chase show). And thanks to interviews with former staff members of the TV show and the revealing Marlene Siskel (Gene’s widow) we see how the annoyance slowly became akin to brotherly love (Ebert had no siblings). It’s a complex fascinating relationship that James adroitly explores.

And then there was Chaz, the last great love of Ebert’s life and the film’s vibrant energy. When I lived in Chicago many decades ago, stories careened around town concerning this unlikely Casanova (yup, Uncle Rog was a “playa'”). Thus the wedding of the two in 1992 came as a surprise (a most pleasant one for Siskel, it seems). Chaz brought children (and grandchildren) into the marriage, much to Roger’s delight. Home video vacation footage shows a beaming Ebert leading Chaz and the kids on all manner of adventures in far-off cultures. Several of the now adult kids share stories of how Ebert introduced them to new worlds of art and literature. And thankfully he had her by his side when illness struck. In the camera interviews, Chaz is a fiercely protective partner in her startlingly candid recounts of his struggles and setbacks. But as tender as she could be with him, we get a taste of the tough task-master, who will not tolerate Ebert giving in to frailty (“No! Roger no! Get up from that chair! Now!”). Also their mixed-race coupling is recounted with great humor. Anyone would be very fortunate to have a strong, brave woman like Chaz in their lives. Without her the world may have been denied the last dozen years of Ebert’s remarkable work. To paraphrase the old big band standard, “Love found him just in time”.

To give a sense of the subject’s seventy years, James doesn’t cover a few things in the film like Ebert’s eloquent defense of Justin Lin’s BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, his concern over the influence of 3D and video games, or even his attempt with Chaz to return to public TV in 2011 with the ill-fated “Ebert Presents: At The Movies”. But included are controversies he generated with other critics who charged that the TV shows oversimplified, even “dumbed-down” film criticism. And that Ebert was compromised by having friendships with actors and film makers. Several of said artists are interviewed here including James himself, Errol Morris (he insists the TV show saved his film GATES OF HEAVEN, Werner Herzog, and a very compelling Martin Scorsese (one of the film’s producers), who relates how Ebert and Siskel threw him an emotional lifeline in the mid 1980’s. Even if you rarely agreed with him on films, this bio-doc will have you wishing you could read Ebert’s thoughts on new works like BOYHOOD or THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL. Steve James has made a remarkable film about a remarkable man. It’s a heart-wrenching love story, a witty tale of news hounds, a glitzy jaunt through “Tinsel Town”, mixed together with great warmth, skill, and affection. LIFE ITSELF is a glorious life-affirming, life-celebrating achievement. Recalling his old show sign off, I hope the balcony is not closed to the ultimate movie lover, so he can sit back, enjoy the show once more and joyfully raise that famous thumb.

5 Out of 5

LIFE ITSELF opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas