Life Itself poster
Review

Life Itself 2014

Directed by Steve James · 121 mins · 1,276 views

4.0 Letterboxd 3.91(26,888)
Ratings K D M R A M M L F W

Synopsis

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.

Trailers

Reviews (104)

  1. K
    kevintporter 8 月 26, 2026

    Two decades ago, before Film Twitter and Letterboxd and The Discourse could take root to rot my thoughts, I only wanted to know what one other person had to say about the movies I was watching. My mom bought me the 2003 Roger Ebert movie yearbook (back when printing out a small portion of the internet was a viable business model). I checked his website religiously and stayed up very late to watch Ebert and Roeper in late night syndication on the Houston affiliate. Back in 2001, if I wanted to see clips of movies it was that or waiting for the Oscars to come back. Before I had the faculty to articulate my own opinions, I lived vicariously through…

    79
  2. D
    davidehrlich 8 月 26, 2026

    beautiful, and maybe the only movie I’ve seen that’s made me breathlessly excited to get home and write about a different one. admittedly tough to suss through its merits, at least at the moment.

    151 1
  3. M
    Michael Offerosky 8 月 26, 2026

    I remember growing up and always watching SISKEL & EBERT. They helped foster my love of movies. Then, of course, Siskel died of brain cancer but Ebert remained. I read his reviews online pretty religiously and did not always agree but I knew that the man had put thought and care into what he had written. One particular review that always annoyed me was his pan of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. Word has it that it was his wife, Chaz’s favorite movie so I wonder if they ever had any discussion about that. Another review that stuck in many readers craw was his violent rebuke of BLUE VELVET both in writing and on his show. This review gets briefly talked about in…

    73
  4. R

    For a long time I heard about this documentary, and I finally watched it and boy was it good. I’ve never seen any of the Siskel and Ebert episodes, but as a cinephile, I was always aware of them, and Ebert is certainly an idol to which any film critic and even amateur reviewer on a social platform like this should aspire. His commitment to this craft, even at its darkest hours, is equally admirable. I would have liked to learn more about his upbringing and his passion for movies, however I believe the documentary fell short. I won’t deny that his appearance caught me off guard, not knowing the whole surgery with the cancer, but it was fantastic to…

    123 6
  5. A
    Adam Kempenaar 8 月 26, 2026

    Director Steve James came to one of my U. of Chicago cinéma vérité classes for a Q&A, and Filmspotting donated money to the Indiegogo campaign to complete this doc. You’ll find the show name listed in the credits, amongst a multitude of other eager contributors. So there are my disclosures — though unlike most Chicago critics whose comments you might read or hear, I don’t have to bother disclosing a personal connection to the subject. I never met Roger Ebert. As I mentioned during our tribute to him last April, he responded to an email I sent him once, disputing something he said in his review of Woody Allen’s SWEET AND LOWDOWN… And I sat in front of him at…

    273 5
  6. M
    Mike D'Angelo 8 月 26, 2026

    66/100 Weirdly, the most affecting moment for me was the revelation that this film’s primary marketing image—Ebert sitting alone in a movie theater, gazing avidly up at the screen (see the current poster here)—is cropped from a photo that originally included Gene Siskel right next to him. Not to diminish Ebert’s considerable solo achievements, but his relationship with Siskel really deserved a more substantial film of its own, as their love-hate relationship is the sole element here that transcends conventional bio-doc hagiography. I found myself constantly wishing for more Gene, and grateful whenever that wish was granted, e.g. Ebert’s transparency regarding his cancer being characterized as a refutation of Siskel’s secrecy about his brain tumor. (It’s also exceedingly weird that Richard…

    84
  7. M
    Matt Singer 8 月 26, 2026

    LIFE ITSELF opens with Roger Ebert’s famous quote about cinema as an empathy machine, and in its best moments Steve James’ documentary about Ebert’s life embodies that philosophy in a way few films do. My admiration for (and, in later years, acquaintance with) the subject means my opinion should be taken with at least a couple grains of salt. In some ways, though, I might be a tougher audience for the film than most. After all, I know a lot about this guy’s life already, and it’s conceivable that one could make a version of this doc that would bore me with platitudes and familiar stories. Thankfully, James mixes Ebert’s more famous escapades with more unexpected anecdotes and touches. And…

    182
  8. L
    Lucy 8 月 26, 2026

    movies are magical. roger knew it, and i can relate. as corny as it may sound, watching this only solidifies my deep passion and love for movies, and i hope to revolve my life around them in the years to come, truly.

    165
  9. F
    Framesofnick 8 月 26, 2026

    25 years old and I can only hope to further my writing skills to half the degree of someone like Ebert by the time I’m dead. I think someone like him and siskel are needed now more than ever. The word of the public opinion has become to algorithmic for any point to be made through truth and heart, it’s rare to find a voice of criticism that is knowledgeable of the history and context that brings about the art they critique. We owe it to the gift of art and movies to express what makes them so important to our daily desire to use them as distraction. We owe it to ourselves to build up those who would quit…

    375 9
  10. W
    Will Sloan 8 月 26, 2026

    Roger Ebert has been on my mind because it only recently occurred to me that there is now an entire generation of young cinephiles with no living memory of the many years he occupied the absolute centre of film discourse. When he died I remember a lot of people wondering what would happen to film culture without his presence as an ambassador of cinema to the layman. Who would fight back against corporate PR and introduce ordinary people to “The Great Movies”? Well here we are seven years later, and I’m still not sure. Ebert consciously sought to be America’s Film Critic – the middle of the middle of the middle. But when Martin Scorsese says in this documentary “He…

    536 8
  11. M
    Matt Singer 8 月 26, 2026

    I haven’t watched this movie since it first came out — frankly, because I find parts of it painful. I’m watching a man I basically considered my hero die. Powerful, yes. Fun, no. I look back at my first Letterboxd review of Life Itself, and see that I described it as “a bit of a ‘And then this happened, and then this happened, and then this happened…’ documentary.” On this viewing, I found more nuance. In a way that’s both fitting and poignant for a story about a man who lost his voice, Life Itself contains many voices. It includes many different narrators: Steve James, Ebert’s words spoken by computerized dictation, and a soundalike reading from Ebert’s memoir, among others.…

    244
  12. A
    Aaron 8 月 26, 2026

    “The purpose of civilization and growth is to be able to reach out and empathize a little bit with other people. And for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy.” I have no way of reviewing Life Itself objectively. Not as I wipe the tears from my eyes. Roger Ebert did not make me love the movies. But he helped me appreciate them in ways deeper and broader than I otherwise would have known possible. Reading his reviews, with their impeccable balance of the conversational and the insightful, the welcoming and the sophisticated, I became aware of how much the movies could say. How much they could show. How they could teach you and inspire you and…

    139 11
  13. Q
    Quibli_ 8 月 10, 2026

    Didnt know much about him before this. Only saw a couple clips of their show and thought he was a bit pretentious but this completely changed my view

  14. G
    Grunk_scrinkly 8 月 9, 2026

    It’s weird seeing your idle be in such a depressing state, but it was cool learning about his life

  15. C
    Colin Foster 8 月 8, 2026

    In a day and age when so little romance is happening that the Atlantic is writing stories about it, and as someone who’s only been on maybe two dates in his life, it’s somehow comforting to know that Roger Ebert didn’t get married until he was 50.

  16. C
    connor 8 月 7, 2026

    the greatest film critic we’ve ever had. i wonder what he would’ve thought of letterboxd one liners

    1
  17. A
    A 8 月 5, 2026

    (233/365): I don’t want to give this a rating, I want to give it a thumbs up.

  18. C
    ChamBliss 8 月 5, 2026

    Roger Ebert was an integral part of my cinematic upbringing. I do not take his opinions very seriously anymore, but I still acknowledge his importance to film and film criticism, as well as his extraordinary writing abilities. I still read his old reviews to see what his opinion was on a film I’m about to watch; sometimes he was right, but a lot of times he was wrong. Opinions are subjective, but Ebert still proved that a critic can misinterpret…

    6
  19. N
    Normalpepper713 8 月 4, 2026

    Anytime a movie mentions Chicago, it immediately gets a 4/5 from me

  20. R
    rsun369 8 月 2, 2026

    Roger Ebert, the original letterboxer. “I’ll see you at the movies.” 👍

  21. F
    fooooofie 8 月 2, 2026

    Decent. RIP FR

  22. J
    Jared 8 月 2, 2026

    You can’t fucking play with my heartstrings and water my eyes at the end like that.

  23. J
    jmckee 8 月 2, 2026

    Bert and Ernie

  24. M
    Mo 7 月 31, 2026

    a moving panegyric

  25. B
    BENNYJANGLES 7 月 30, 2026

    Chicago Legend

    1
  26. Y
    Yorm 7 月 25, 2026

    makes me realize i actually knew nothing about roger ebert. like obviously i know about roger ebert and i like watching clips of him on twitter and sometimes bridget and i watch the best and worst of episodes on youtube. bridgets kinda like my siskel but if siskel and ebert got along amazingly and went yes i love bulworth. i mean it’s always sad watching a documentary depicting the final moments of a persons life. but like yeah i mean…

    3 2
  27. R
    rsteel2025 7 月 25, 2026

    One of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen absolutely beautiful

  28. J
    JacobReyesDFW 7 月 24, 2026

    I am a writer because of Roger Ebert. He guided me at a time when I needed it the most. Never mind the fact he never knew of the 14 year old kid who cherished his written reviews and syndicated series. Today, over 10 years after his passing, he remains with me. This famous photo used to hang at my desk at work. Now, it hovers over the uncertain mess that is my bedroom. Roger Ebert was “a good ol’…

    2
  29. C
    CORECOLDNESS 7 月 20, 2026

    O propósito da civilização e do crescimento, é poder alcançar e ter um pouco de empatia com outras pessoas. E para mim, os filmes são como uma máquina que gera empatia

  30. R
    Raymond Farrell 7 月 20, 2026

    My second time watching this one after first viewing it what must be around a couple of years ago at this stage, and it definitely hit a lot harder this time around than on my initial viewing. I think a lot of this is because we are essentially watching a documentary authorised by its subject which essentially gives an unfiltered look into the slow and uncomfortable decline in health that led to his death. I’ve seen some critics express their…

  31. G
    Ginny Harrell 7 月 18, 2026

    More than a few “Wow… I did not know that about Roger” moments.

  32. C
    cat_vs_kirk 7 月 17, 2026

    Fuck, man, I’m not much of a crier but this movie got me when I saw it at the Living Room Theaters a decade ago and it got me again last night. And it isn’t just because I liked Roger and his work and I’m sad that he passed. (Although obviously that is a large part of it.) It’s that Life Itself shows how he was a funny dude who loved his family, who proselytized for the works of art…

  33. S
    Sascha Kenny 7 月 15, 2026

    As an Australian who grew up mostly in the 90s and 00s, we don’t tend to worship at the feet of Roger Ebert. David and Margaret were our Siskel and Ebert. But this documentary presents the case for Ebert’s importance fairly well. I would have liked to have seen more of his actual reviews – given how lauded he is. But instead, this becomes more of a film about Ebert’s relationships and his battle with thyroid cancer, which, without being…

  34. C
    cory 7 月 13, 2026

    i’ll see you at the movies

  35. W
    WhoreOfBabyl 7 月 12, 2026

    I feel like in the modern era this movie is even more important. Roger and Gene were vectors which allowed new voices to be heard and the format they developed has encouraged an entire generation of critics on social media. What is more unexpected is how this film pairs Roger’s often crude and morose language with a story about death. Poetic.

  36. S
    skyler_iscool 7 月 10, 2026

    This documentary so simply and perfectly gets across Roger as a person with its two hour runtime, showing his passion and beautiful articulation when it comes to film. In the beginning of the documentary, Roger states that film is a ‘machine of empathy’ that helps us understand other people and their hopes and aspirations. I have never actually heard why I personally love film articulated in such a profound way, film is a gateway to other people’s life and helps…

  37. M
    Marc Perez 7 月 10, 2026

    This is just like the Val Kilmer documentary for me. I can’t watch this whole thing and keep seeing this guy’s face all fucked up from illness.. Bummer, since it was actually a pretty solid doc.

    1
  38. Z
    Zach Boon 7 月 9, 2026

    Really cool I got a lot of hood recommendations, and it was super interesting for me. And vary sad. May Roger Ebert rest in peace

  39. K
    katherine 7 月 9, 2026

    Probably too long and meandering of a doc but I was pretty fascinated! My grandma relies frequently on Ebert’s reviews before we watch anything which is how I came to know him, and I ended up using his stuff in my AP research paper. Always been curious and this answered plenty of my questions!!

  40. I
    IMOReviews 7 月 5, 2026

    Well this made me ugly cry like a little bitch. As wonderful and fulfilling as it is, focusing on the impact we have on each other’s lives even through such small and nonchalant acts. I don’t know if I could rewatch it. And that’s nothing against the film other than… it was just too emotionally tough for me at times. Yes there is a big softie deep down inside this grumpy ginger. Seriously. Get the box of tissues ready. You’re going to love it, but your heart will be in pieces at the same time. Rest in Peace Siskel & Ebert.

    1
  41. K
    Kevin Shields 7 月 3, 2026

    I’ve never been a fan of Ebert, but I absolutely respect him for what he’s done for film criticism and bringing attention to all sorts of films and having your own unique voice. It’s a hard to watch doc seeing him in such a grim state (that flappy hairy bottom lip is the stuff of nightmares) – fantastic doc though, incredibly in-depth and gave a good insight to him and definitely made me have a lot more respect for him and his work. I should really watch Hoop Dreams…

  42. S
    sozorogami 7 月 2, 2026

    I’ve nursed a grudge against Roger Ebert ever since, some time in the Obama years, he had the temerity to say on his blog that video games are not art – a blasphemous and poorly supported opinion he’d plainly pulled right out of his ass. I guess that’s kind of his whole deal tho, being a hot take guy before Twitter, an elder statesman of posts. Well, after seeing him soldier on, quite literally posting through a debilitating terminal illness…

    1
  43. J
    JewyVuitton 7 月 1, 2026

    Guys life was 100x more quirky and lovely than I would’ve thought – so it definitely warranted a more unique format than this very formulaic doc. Still a fun and heartwarming watch. A thumb and a half up!

    2
  44. R
    rychartist 7 月 1, 2026

    Great documentary on the life of a highly regarded critic. Anyone who’s a fan of cinema should watch this film at least once.

  45. J
    Jarrod 6 月 30, 2026

    “That’s the way people do relate to films, is in that argumentative sort of way, in which if you’re right nobody can tell you that you’re wrong.” Always skeptical about documentaries that look back and talking heads tell me what the subject was like and what they meant to people and whatnot because it always feels like it begins dipping into puff piece territory. What is effective here is the juxtaposition with the “history” and the verite of Roger’s final days. “Life Itself” the film and in general are as much about a long, fulfilling existence as it is about facing and accepting death.

  46. B
    biscuitbadger 6 月 26, 2026

    Really shows the strength someone who is weak can possess.

  47. S
    Scott Z. Walkinshaw 6 月 26, 2026

    Time to get writing again.

    1
  48. J
    Jcrago 6 月 24, 2026

    I watched this on its initial release and loved it enough that I went out and bought the book. I’m good for a rewatch every few years. I need that long to recover because i cry throughout this movie-not even just at the sad times in Ebert’s life-but through the triumphs. Leave it to Roger Ebert (and let’s be real, Steve GD James) to make a great film out of a formula biopic. Two thumbs up.

    2
  49. B
    Brian Stout 6 月 24, 2026

    RIP, Roger. Your work changed my life.

  50. P
    prlane 6 月 22, 2026

    The world of film would not be what it is today without Roger Ebert. The thing that hit me the most is that he was critical of people work but he did it out of love. When they spoke about the colour of money and his review I could feel he knew Scorsese was better than that movie. When I initially heard that Tarantino’s final movie was originally going to be about a movie critic, I wanted it to carry the same philosophy I now believe Roger held.

  51. @
    @mswann_ 6 月 22, 2026

    “the movies are a machine to generate empathy” wow. wow. wow. that’s all i have to say.

  52. J
    Jacob Grieser 6 月 18, 2026

    Film critics have existed for as long as the cinematic art form itself has existed, but no critic had been able to gain such an impressively sized amount of global recognition until Chicago native Roger Ebert entered the profession in the mid-1960s. Initially hired to write for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967, where he’d remain until his passing in 2013, Ebert’s fame further elevated when he became one of two hosts of the review series “At the Movies”, and to…

  53. H
    hunt2destroy 6 月 18, 2026

    👍👍

  54. J
    Jon Erik 6 月 18, 2026

    👍👍 One of the main reasons I am such a film freak is Roger Ebert. As a kid on weekend mornings I would watch Siskel and Ebert. I would love watching two film lovers argue and agree on movies. Roger was always my favourite and I would get several of his books. I was 9 when I saw two grown men arguing over an animated kid movie. That movie was Hercules and the argument is on YouTube. I met Mr.…

    6
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    ajolesen 6 月 17, 2026

    I have a complicated relationship with Robert Elbert, I disagree with some of his reviews but I respect him, in this movie makes me respect and more. This is a good documentary and I will watch beyond the Valley of the dolls. Also screw Pauline Kael

  56. J
    J.B. Strevel 6 月 17, 2026

    Happy Birthday, Roger. Would have been 84 today!

  57. J
    Jayden Duggan 6 月 17, 2026

    I never knew that ‘Life Itself’ was the movie that I needed. For most people, going to see a movie about something they are interested in is easy. Sports, war, technology, you’re probably going to find a dozen of these movies just by searching up keywords on Netflix. For myself, movies themself, and more specifically film criticism, there won’t be a lot out there about the nature. Watching a movie about someone throwing a ball around is easy to find,…

  58. T
    Treads 6 月 17, 2026

    “When I’m writing, I’m the same person I always was.” Great documentary about a man who helped change the way movies were discussed, reviewed, and even cherished. I’m a big fan of reading Ebert’s movie reviews and watching old clips of Siskel and Ebert. This doc gives me an even greater appreciation of Ebert and his outlook on life and the relationship he had with film. Seeing how much positivity and joy he retained even during the final stretch of…

    2
  59. W
    Will Klein (StarBoy1701) 6 月 16, 2026

    I’ll see you at the movies 😭 2014 Ranked

    5
  60. A
    Andrew 6 月 16, 2026

    Chances are, if you’re on this website and watch even a fifth of the amount of movies I do, you’re well aware of who Roger Ebert was and probably have some level of relationship to his work you formed as you fell deeper and deeper into the movie rabbit hole. I still look out for his review blurb on Wikipedia when looking up older films, and I’ve spent countless hours scrubbing YouTube in search of Siskel & Ebert episodes I’ve either…

  61. A
    Andrew McNally 6 月 15, 2026

    leaving this without a rating as I don’t think I can judge it fairly in a way that pits it against other films (something Ebert himself does here in regards to Balto). I may be a music critic, but I’ve always dreamed of being a film critic. and even though my real writing background is in fiction, I’ve always felt that Ebert was one of the people who really got me started in writing. it’s impossible to deny the influence…

    3
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    cadurfe 6 月 12, 2026

    His resilience was admirable and it made me nostalgic for his film reviews but I felt like the documentary just touched the surface. There was something lacking.

    1
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    patb1013 6 月 10, 2026

    “We are all born with a certain package. We are who we are.” — Roger Ebert “Life Itself” (2014) is a moving, funny, and deeply human documentary that serves as a wonderful testament to the life and legacy of Roger Ebert. Directed by Steve James and based on Ebert’s memoir, the film chronicles his remarkable career as one of America’s most influential film critics while also exploring his personal life, health struggles, and enduring love of movies. What makes the…

  64. S
    softsphaghetti 6 月 9, 2026

    I might not be able to forgive him for the rancid and poisonous things he said about Freddy Got Fingered…. But I still cried in front of the homies to this, making me both treasonous and pathetic, like the cum-man putting on a condom….

    6
  65. N
    Namin 6 月 8, 2026

    everyone giving a thumbs at the end 🥹

  66. H
    Henry Jones 6 月 5, 2026

    Since it’s mainly focused on the life of Ebert himself-obviously-there are missing pieces of the story you can find in books like Opposable Thumbs. These works also tend to shy away from doing more than touching upon some of the negative aspects of Siskel and Ebert. Look, I LOVE the work of Siskel and Ebert, but they had occasional severe overreactions to horror, bachelor Siskel often made strange and off-putting statements about how women look in films that had nothing…

  67. M
    Mac Boyle 6 月 4, 2026

    I’m quickly making this a yearly re-watch. Honestly, both Gene and Roger should still be around, telling us how we’re doing everything wrong. #fuckcancer

  68. M
    murraki 6 月 4, 2026

    Lost a real gem.

  69. S
    steege 6 月 2, 2026

    A decade ago I would have said that movie criticism as we knew it is dead. Paid for reviews to slop merchants on YouTube were the future. But as I find more and more cinephiles whose voices have been amplified (even if they have a medium like “the ringer” or some shit), I do at least feel optimism towards film discourse. And with a generation entering the workforce now who desperately is craving authenticity and original ideas, regardless of how…

    3
  70. B
    Big AL 6 月 2, 2026

    A courageous documentary about the legendary critic Roger Ebert. Following him on his end of life care, we witnessed the love he has for film even without the ability to talk. His passion is inspiring and drive to carry on right till then end. I knew very little of Ebert but this documentary was definitely an insight into this phenomenal career. From his start in journalism to his show with Gene Siskel. I liked how it didn’t hold back showing…

    5
  71. 👤
    👤 ꪜꫀɾꪀ 👤 6 月 1, 2026

    375

    2
  72. S
    Stephen Kink 5 月 31, 2026

    I came across Roger Ebert originally as a guy who famously didn’t like horror movies and often looked down on them in his prestigious reviews, so he became my petty nemesis of course as I learn more about him that has changed and I have gained more respect for his work as a writer and a figure in the world of movies, I don’t always agree with him but when it comes to criticism there is always the simple and…

    1
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    Eric 5 月 31, 2026

    A great biography focusing on Ebert as a writer and man of the world, plus his long battles with his health. Not as much on his film criticism, philosophy, or even the movies he really likes… I suppose that’s for the books to cover, but i was hoping for more insight on that. But this man led a fascinating life and i liked the inside look on things, particularly his time at the bars in Chicago and The behind the scenes with Siskel: these sequences painted a detailed portrait of these eras of eberts life

    1
  74. S
    SpookyEli 5 月 29, 2026

    What to say that hasn’t already been said? Well, Roger was omnipresent, and in many ways he still is. When I first disconnected from the mines of Channel Awesome (dating myself here) Roger was the new first port of call. But he was only ever there in the background, really. I could never call myself “a fan” of Roger at the time, I was just a garden variety nerd, I shopped around. I moved on to other voices. For a…

    3
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    Thrillhouse04 5 月 29, 2026

    I’ve been down a big Siskel and Ebert YouTube rabbit hole lately, as well as watching them Sunday mornings as a child, despite not understanding most of what they were talking about. I would still catch their show when I got older and it really felt like I was a little more sophisticated by the time it ended. I think this is quite well done and I still think their show is great entertainment all these years later. Plus, you may well discover some great films by checking it out.

    9
  76. N
    Nick Vassenelli 5 月 27, 2026

    Seeing Ebert at the end of his life is just heartbreaking stuff man Seeing Siskel & Ebert’s banter here reminded me of this review of theirs, perhaps my favorite I’ve seen

    2
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    jmccarty123 5 月 27, 2026

    see you at the movies, roger.

    1
  78. M
    Michael 5 月 26, 2026

    “Everything dope about America comes from Chicago.” — Sherman Dilla Thomas Thank you, Roger.

    2
  79. B
    bluedreamss 5 月 26, 2026

    Cheers to one of the greats 👍

    1
  80. W
    Will Sills 5 月 26, 2026

    I’m honestly surprised at the reviews this received. To me, it’s not an effective documentary at all. Isn’t a documentary supposed to be an impartial deep dive into the subject? I couldn’t help but feel the whole time like the filmmaking was incredibly manipulative, and for no good reason either. Just tell us about arguably the most famous and well-respected film critic of all-time, and allow us to make our own judgments on the man. Growing up, I was a…

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    David Leninhawk 5 月 25, 2026

    “Life Itself” is a documentary giving a very good high-level overview of who Roger Ebert was. Whether it’s in documentary form or narrative form, you can’t really condense the whole of a person’s life into 2 hours, but I think if you don’t much about Ebert, this is an incredibly good snapshot of who the man was. As someone who has been familiar with Ebert since childhood and read hundreds of his reviews, if not more, there wasn’t much “new”…

    1
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    BrewerYoung 5 月 24, 2026

    I don’t believe that I would be writing reviews on this website if it weren’t for Roger Ebert. And for that matter, I don’t believe that this website would even exist if it weren’t for him, or Gene Siskel. He was a man who was very passionate about films and good storytelling, you may not always agree with his takes, but without people like Roger, film discussion would be a very dull topic.

    3
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    kiivipallo 5 月 24, 2026

    Okay well now I’m weeping and all it’s your fault What a great man Ebert was. Not solely because of what he accomplished professionally, though that’s unmatched in his field to this day, but also because of who he was as a person: someone with a kind heart, someone others gravitated to and respected, someone who made the world better for being in it. When I die, if the people in my life think or speak half as beautifully of me as those in Ebert’s did of him here, I’ll know I’ve lead the kind of life I always hoped I would.

    1
  84. K
    Kennedy 5 月 24, 2026

    Okay I’m obsessed. Roger Ebert is #epic #awesome #thumbsup #realmovielover

    2
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    jmaffkipp 5 月 22, 2026

    I loved this documentary. It didn’t shy away from Ebert’s more controversial sides, but fully did justice to his genius. Very moving in how it handled his relationship with Siskel and both of their deaths.

    1
  86. B
    Big Red 5 月 19, 2026

    👍

    1
  87. V
    Vaswer 5 月 17, 2026

    Of course, the Academy just would snub this film while instead nominating a movie co-directed by a nephew of Gene Siskel’s.

    2
  88. C
    Craig 5 月 16, 2026

    rest in peace roger ebert. you would’ve loved letterboxd

    11 2
  89. D
    Dr.Yes 5 月 13, 2026

    I could watch hours of Siskel and Ebert arguing between takes while filming their show

    1
  90. B
    Brian Burkart 5 月 12, 2026

    Steve James crafts another powerful, warts-and-all documentary, this time about longtime Chicago movie critic Roger Ebert. The “Hoop Dreams” director pulls from Ebert’s own memoir. “Life Itself” is a triumphant portrait of an influential journalist and brave look at a man facing his own mortality. The two-hour documentary does not gloss over Ebert’s flaws, nor does it wallow in them. What comes through most of all is the pure, limitless love Ebert had for film and the joy he got…

    3
  91. L
    Lauren! 5 月 11, 2026

    When I’m writing, I’m the same person I always was. Roger Ebert believed that film was something important in the world, and he, along with Gene Siskel, made film criticism important too. Even if you never write serious reviews, where would any of us on this app be without that? This is one of the better biographical documentaries I’ve seen. I’m glad, he deserved a good one.

    9
  92. I
    ianmertens 5 月 10, 2026

    roger ebert was een interessante man maar de docu was maar saai gebracht eerlijk gezegd, soms wat cliché ook

    1
  93. K
    Kaycee 5 月 9, 2026

    A touching tribute to a formidable writer, thinker, mouth runner. A man who made every critic of his ilk & era want to, for lack of a better term, step their pussies up. Also, respect for how much of a horndog Roger Ebert was. I think the fact that he was a boob man is crucial to this documentary

  94. D
    Dairy_Fairy 5 月 8, 2026

    See you at the movies 💕

  95. A
    Angus McLeod 5 月 2, 2026

    Miss these two so much ❤️❤️

  96. I
    Izaiah Shupe 5 月 1, 2026

    I have so many things to give credit to in my life that made me fall in love with movies; Roger Ebert is one of those. When I was a kid, picking up a VHS or a DVD and seeing his “Two Thumbs Up!!!” or “4 Stars” or “4 1/2 Stars” intrigued me. I thought “Who is this Roger Ebert and why are these movies so good?” When I watched the movies, I understood why they were so good. Later…

    1
  97. H
    Hadley 4 月 30, 2026

    Roger Ebert is a name you get annoyed hearing again and again in film class, but then you watch this movie and you read his writing and you understand exactly why: he’s the goat.

    3 1
  98. T
    TheBigJWC 4 月 29, 2026

    Life itself like the title of this Bio-Doc chronicling the life and death of film critic Roger Ebert is sad and sweet. If we’re lucky we see more of the former than the latter but all of us have to face both in the end. Director Steve James does a good job of revealing the humor and the dignity of his subjects. He never lets the pathos of the situarion overwhelm the humanity with which Roger and his wife Chaz…

  99. A
    Anthony Oleszkiewicz 4 月 28, 2026

    RIP criticism

    1
  100. M
    Mowzoll 3 月 18, 2018

    Beautiful and deeper than expected.

  101. J
    johanlefourbe 9 月 14, 2015

    Ever since I heard about this movie, of course, I became really eager to watch it. Indeed, for more than 20 years, I have been a huge movie fan and, at some point, I guess a little bit less than 10 years ago, I stumbled across those amazing reviews written by Roger Ebert. Eventually, I think I must have read 2000, maybe 3000 of his reviews and I always check them after I watched a movie released before 2013. Basically,…

  102. C
    Carl Patterson 3 月 20, 2015

    I’d only vaguely heard of Roger Ebert up until his jaw operation. I knew that he had a show with Gene Siskel but didn’t know much more. From his nose up he looked fine, but because he had his lower jaw removed he just had a loop of flesh and skin with a gap underneath. Watching the nurse clear his feeding tube was not pleasant to watch. There were a few clips of Gene and Roger just constantly bickering and quarrelling, you would wonder how they both managed to stay in the same room let alone host a movie review show.

  103. V
    vonmabuse 1 月 2, 2015

    A lively celebration of critic Roger Ebert, making a case for him as an important figure and a decent human being.

  104. R
    rayyrl 7 月 5, 2014

    縱使你有你的不完美, 但無法掩飾你傳奇的一生.

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My rating

S Stephen Stanton Roger Ebert (voice)
R Roger Ebert Self - Film Critic
C Chaz Ebert Self - Ebert's Wife
R Ramin Bahrani Self - Filmmaker
R Richard Corliss Self - Film Critic
N Nancy De Los Santos Self - TV Producer
A Ava DuVernay Self - Filmmaker
B Bruce Elliot Self - Ebert's Friend
L Laura Emerick Self - Journalist
E Emil Evans Self - Ebert's Step-Grandson
R Raven Evans Self - Ebert's Step-Granddaughter
S Sonia Evans Self - Ebert's Step-Daughter
T Thea Flaum Self - TV Producer
J Josh Golden Self - Ebert Website Designer
W Werner Herzog Self - Filmmaker
M Marlene Iglitzen Siskel Self - Siskel's Wife
C Carol Iwata Self - Ebert's Personal Assistant
S Steve James Self - Filmmaker / Narrator (voice)
R Rick Kogan Self - Newspaperman
D Donna La Pietra Self - TV Producer
Director Steve James
Producer Josh Schollmeyer, Mark Mitten, Paula DuPré Pesmen, Emily Hart, Steve James, Zak Piper, Garrett Basch
Executive Producer Michael W. Ferro Jr., Justine Nagan, Kat White, Steven Zaillian, Vinnie Malhotra, Gordon Quinn, Martin Scorsese, Mark Mitten, Amy Entelis
Editor Steve James, David E. Simpson
Original Music Joshua Abrams
Sound Drew Weir, Zak Piper
Synopsis
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.
Director
Steve James
Studio
Kartemquin Films, CNN Films, Film Rites, KatLei Productions
Country
USA
Language
English
Year
2014
Runtime
121 mins

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