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Life Itself

  • 20142014
  • RR
  • 2h 1m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
16K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Roger Ebert in Life Itself (2014)
Trailer for Life Itself
Play trailer2:13
4 Videos
65 Photos
  • Documentary
  • Biography

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.

IMDb RATING
7.8/10
16K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Steve James
  • Stars
    • Roger Ebert
    • Chaz Ebert
    • Gene Siskel(archive footage)
Top credits
  • Director
    • Steve James
  • Stars
    • Roger Ebert
    • Chaz Ebert
    • Gene Siskel(archive footage)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 87User reviews
    • 224Critic reviews
    • 87Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 25 wins & 33 nominations

    Videos4

    Life Itself
    Trailer 2:13
    Life Itself
    Life Itself
    Trailer 2:22
    Life Itself
    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:22
    Official Trailer
    Exclusive Clip
    Clip 1:53
    Exclusive Clip

    Photos65

    Martin Scorsese and Steve James in Life Itself (2014)
    Roger Ebert and Chaz Ebert in Life Itself (2014)
    Roger Ebert in Life Itself (2014)
    Roger Ebert in Life Itself (2014)
    Roger Ebert in Life Itself (2014)
    Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel in Life Itself (2014)
    Steve James in Life Itself (2014)
    Roger Ebert in Life Itself (2014)
     Director Jonathan Demme attends the "Life Itself" screening at The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Walter Reade Theatre on June 23, 2014 in New York City.
    Life Itself (2014)
    Werner Herzog in Life Itself (2014)
    Chaz Ebert in Life Itself (2014)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    • Selfas Self
    Chaz Ebert
    Chaz Ebert
    • Selfas Self
    Gene Siskel
    Gene Siskel
    • Selfas Self
    • (archive footage)
    Martin Scorsese
    Martin Scorsese
    • Selfas Self
    Werner Herzog
    Werner Herzog
    • Selfas Self
    Ava DuVernay
    Ava DuVernay
    • Selfas Self
    Stephen Stanton
    Stephen Stanton
    • Roger Ebertas Roger Ebert
    • (voice)
    Errol Morris
    Errol Morris
    • Selfas Self
    Ramin Bahrani
    Ramin Bahrani
    • Selfas Self
    Gregory Nava
    Gregory Nava
    • Selfas Self
    Steve James
    Steve James
    • Selfas Self
    Nancy De Los Santos-Reza
    Nancy De Los Santos-Reza
    • Selfas Self
    Donna La Pietra
    • Selfas Self
    • (as Donna LaPietra)
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    Jonathan Rosenbaum
    • Selfas Self
    Marlene Siskel
    Marlene Siskel
    • Selfas Self
    • (as Marlene Iglitzen)
    A.O. Scott
    A.O. Scott
    • Selfas Self
    Richard Corliss
    Richard Corliss
    • Selfas Self
    Rick Kogan
    Rick Kogan
    • Selfas Self
    • Director
      • Steve James
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    'Life Itself' recounts the surprising and entertaining life of world-renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert - a story that's by turns personal, wistful, funny, painful, and transcendent. The film explores the impact and legacy of Roger Ebert's life: from his Pulitzer Prize-winning film criticism and his nearly quarter-century run with Gene Siskel on their review show, to becoming one of the country's most influential cultural voices, and finally to Roger's inspiring battles with cancer and the resulting physical disability - how he literally and symbolically put a new face on the disease and continued to be a cultural force despite it. —Anonymous
    • film critic
    • death
    • journalist
    • reformed alcoholic
    • cancer patient
    • 21 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • The only thing Roger loved more than movies
    • Genres
      • Documentary
      • Biography
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for brief sexual images/nudity and language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Contrary 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.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Dan Aykroyd/Chaz Ebert/Nick Thune (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      Tired of Crying
      Written by Howlin' Wolf

      Performed by Howlin' Wolf

    User reviews87

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    A lovely portrait of a singular man with universal appeal.
    It's pretty brave to name a movie Life Itself. The title alone suggests that the film will provide insight into the weird, unquantifiable, enormous, and very human experience that constitutes… well, life itself. It's even braver considering that the film is actually about a film critic: hardly the most scintillating or important of celebrities, in the Hollywood scheme of things. And yet, this documentary on the life, death and many things in between of pre-eminent American film critic Roger Ebert comes powerfully close to doing its title justice. In narrowing its focus to one human being and his share of triumphs and travails, Life Itself touches on something deeply universal.

    For those completely unacquainted with Ebert, Life Itself serves as a useful introduction to America's most recognisable film critic. Even for those who knew of him through his reviews or had some information about the cancer that took his jaw away from him several years ago, the documentary offers plenty of fresh insight into the man himself.

    Close friends share their memories of Ebert from his youth, remembering how he made tough professional calls even as the editor of his college newspaper. We watch as he and his collaborator and frenemy, Gene Siskel, become the most popular faces of film criticism in the US. And the camera brings us – oftentimes relentlessly – into the final months of his life, as Ebert trades e- mails (ranging from chirpy to despondent in tone) with director Steve James and struggles through a particularly punishing bout of physiotherapy.

    Through it all, a portrait of Ebert emerges – one made all the more impactful because James deftly avoids turning his film into a hagiography. Ebert's sharp wit, intelligence and passion for the movies shine through. But so does his tendency to be petty and competitive over the screen time and fame he must share with Siskel. His love story with his wife Chaz is coloured in by as much joy as tragedy, and James does not shy away from depicting the more banal, dignity-sapping aspects of Ebert's life as a cancer victim.

    And yet, what makes Life Itself – based on and named after Ebert's memoirs – so compelling is its subtle conclusion: that we can all choose to be the heroes of our own stories, however small, ordinary or painful they might be. Ebert may not be fighting dragons or fording streams, but he demonstrates superhuman courage whenever he tries to drag his uncooperative body up a flight of steps. This is a hero who gets crotchety, fretful, and sarcastic – the kind of hero who's trapped in his body and forced to communicate through scribbling or notepads or an electronic voice-box, but still manages to reach out with his words and his hope, hanging onto himself and sharing his passion for cinema with film-makers and audiences alike. It's the stuff that movies are far too frequently not made of, and it's the most fitting legacy for a man who spent his life loving them.
    helpful•4
    0
    • shawneofthedead
    • Dec 23, 2014

    FAQ2

    • Why is Richard Roeper not in this film?
    • Does this film discuss the relationship between Siskel & Ebert?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 4, 2014 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Життя, як є
    • Production companies
      • CNN Films
      • Film Rites
      • Kartemquin Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $153,875 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $810,454
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $131,411
      • Jul 6, 2014
    • Gross worldwide
      • $815,645
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 1 minute
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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