9) Life Itself
As one of those few, sad guys who actually spends a great deal of time reading and gleaning great entertainment from pieces of film criticism – much in the way a normal person gleans entertainment from watching the damn things – Roger Ebert swiftly became a bit of an icon to me. Not only was he a titan of criticism and the man who all but singlehandedly elevated it to its own niche art form, but his massive back catalogue of books and reviews provided me with days of enjoyment (and, more than occasionally, seething annoyance).
I didn’t always agree with Ebert, but the guy loved movies so earnestly, and wrote with such passionately measured prose that I had to begrudgingly accept the validity of his opinions – even on Titanic.
Life Itself is a perfect illustration of just how phenomenal a human being Ebert really was. Steve James’ heartfelt documentary interweaves Ebert’s belligerent early years and incredibly personal footage of the great man’s last few weeks on earth with the joyous and emotional celebration that it deserves – painting the picture of a man who lived life to its fullest, made many mistakes, and was still fully ready to laugh at them and his own predicament even when faced with his own impending death.
Roger Ebert was an incredible individual, and Steve James’ loving documentary delivers the exact kind of honest-yet-emotional punch that both the man and his story deserve.
