Why Not Watch?
Don’t worry world! We always support watching documentaries legally and many of the films we recommend on Influence Film Club are available where you live too. We suggest using your preferred method for watching a film – such as searching iTunes, Amazon, Netflix, VOD platforms (video-on-demand), or renting/buying a DVD.
Find out more about starting a film club!
LIFE ITSELF explores Roger Ebert’s legacy, including his Pulitzer Prize-winning film criticism at the Chicago Sun-Times and his eruptive relationship with Gene Siskel, all culminating in his ascension as one of the most influential cultural voices in America.
Director: Steve James
Share this film, and maybe even your life journey with others as Roger shared his, both the ups and the downs.
Consider donating to the Roger & Chaz Ebert Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports arts and education programs, philanthropy, voluntarism and grantmaking foundations.
Consider donating to The American Cancer Society, which funds research and provides assistance to those suffering from cancer.
Support up-and-coming film critics by reading their blogs and reviews on RogerEbert.com.
“Life itself, that loaded two-word phrase, is what Roger really wrote about when he wrote about movies. Life itself is what I’m dealing with as I sit here in a hospital waiting room. And it’s what you’re dealing with as you sit here reading this review”
Many critics have put in their two cents on LIFE ITSELF- it is after all a topic close to their hearts- yet few are filled with the insight, thoughtfulness and care that the editor-in-chief of RogerEbert.com has dedicated to this review.
“When I am writing my problems become invisible and I am the same person I always was. All is well. I am as I should be.”
Read Esquire Magazine’s full feature profile of Ebert here.
Roger Ebert’s memorial in the Chicago Sun-Times, where he worked as a film critic for the majority of his career.
WE OUGHT TO READ
Films that inspired or were inspired by the literary world.
Ebert is one of the most famous film critics of all time, but where did it all begin?
Read the full history here.
Our interview with the director Steve James.
“It was reading his memoirs that was the revelation, because then what you saw was that kind of idea we have about most writers and particularly about critics as people who spend too much time in the dark watching movies and then writing about them — that just did not apply to Roger Ebert. His life was so full…”
Read the full interview here.
“I don’t think we would have been on the air as long as we have been if people were convinced [our rivalry] was a fraud of some sort. When people ask me, ‘What is your relationship like?’ the best answer I can give is, it’s what you see. If you see a little bit of dislike, there’s probably a lot going on.”
From the Archives: A 1991 Interview with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Read the full Playboy interview here.
Explore our Life Itself pinterest board.
They may have been rivals on screen and off, but over the years Siskel and Ebert developed a meaningful friendship. Watch the full interview here.
Listen to our playlist with music from the film on Spotify.
From stage to art galleries to screens, read about her work here.
