Life Itself by Steve James

Good films show us who a character really is deep down at the core; great films show us who we are deep down at our own core. Life Itself is one of those great films.

Roger Ebert spent years of his life wrapped up in the fantasy worlds others created. His film criticism went beyond snark and pomp, diving into the heart of every story. While the struggles he has in this documentary are his own, he reveals truths that go beyond himself. He shows us what it’s like to be human, and to truly live a life worth living.

Ebert turned film criticism into a work of art, pushing his way up from an overworked newspaper writer to a national legend with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We watch as his plucky attitude gets him into more than a few bar brawls as a young man. We also watch as he laughs with his wife Chaz from a hospital bed. Just when we think we know the type of person Roger Ebert is, he reveals a new part of himself in every scene.

On screen, he refuses to sugarcoat a single word.

What makes Life Itself stand out from other biographical documentaries is the way Ebert confronts his early life, and later, his struggle with cancer. On screen, he refuses to sugarcoat a single word. We see the full range of his thoughts.

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As his cancer progresses, Ebert asks the director to capture it all. We see beautiful moments, when he gazes at his wife and smiles from his wheelchair. We also see uglier moments, when he argues with his family over whether he can walk upstairs on his own.

The film unfolds from a simple movie about Roger Ebert into something profound. At one point, Ebert turns to director Steve James and says, “It’s not just your movie.”

This is clearly Roger Ebert’s movie, and he doesn’t let you forget it. Yet it’s also a movie that can tell us about ourselves.

This is clearly Roger Ebert’s movie, and he doesn’t let you forget it. Yet it’s also a movie that can tell us about ourselves. Do we love anything as passionately as Ebert loves films? Would we do anything to keep that passion in our lives? What do we do when illness threatens to take it all away?

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Even as Ebert slowly succumbed to cancer in April 2013, he never lost his passion. He wrote until he was too physically exhausted to continue. His story proves that death catches up with us all eventually, but we don’t have to stop living just because it’s right around the corner.

Ebert’s entire life story seems like a fantasy, but Life Itself brings it back to reality. The documentary peels away at the layers of fame and glory to the person Roger Ebert was on the inside, and who we all are when we look deep enough.