Movie Night: Life Itself.

Review #690: Life Itself.

Cast
Roger Ebert & Chaz Ebert, with Martin Scorsese, Ava DuVernay, Werner Herzog, Errol Morris, Ramin Bahrani, Gregory Nava, A.O. Scott, Marlene Siskel. Directed by Steve James.

Review
It is hard to express my feelings on this movie. I could simply say it is a great documentary, but to say that feels like an injustice to writing these reviews. Watching this documentary gave me an newer appreciation of films and the opinions that people have on them. We all have an opinion on a film, some just do it for a living. This movie made me wonder why I do these reviews. Do I do them because I love movies? How seriously should I take Movie Night? The answers to these questions do not change my opinion on the movie, but it is nice to have a documentary film that inspires a bit of thinking. Seeing Ebert and his family interact is my favorite part because seeing their interactions along with their emotions makes the movie more emotional, though the focus on Ebert's working relationship with Gene Siskel is a close second. The documentary offers a look into Ebert's life and when it ends we feel sad for the death of our focus, of our source (for some, anyway) of film criticism. I do remember watching Ebert interact with Roeper (the replacement after Siskel died) and I remember stumbling upon his review of North, and after he died it inspired me to make my own review. I highly recommend this documentary not just because it does a tremendous job at highlighting Ebert's life, but because it also manages to be a great look into what makes a person from their emotions to their personality.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.