Happily Married: Roger and Chaz very obviously dote on each other.By Scott Foundas - Chief Film Critic, VarietyĪ life spent at the movies gets the cinematic epitaph it richly deserves in “Life Itself,” documentarian Steve James’ meticulous and intensely emotional portrait of the late Roger Ebert.Heads or Tails?: Often used by Roger and Gene to resolve disputes- notably, that's the reason their show was called Siskel & Ebert rather than the other way around.Go Out with a Smile: His wife Chaz describes his passing as very quiet and simple, with him just looking at her and the kids and smiling.He reminisces somewhat fondly on his hard-drinking reporter lifestyle, but realized he was drinking himself into an early grave. Functional Alcoholic: Roger himself, it's revealed, until he joined a twelve-step program.Face Death with Dignity: The film looks unflinchingly at Roger's declining last days and his struggles with physical therapy, but shows how he accepted his death as a natural part of life.Chicago: Most of the film takes place in the 'windy city', where Ebert spent his entire career as a newspaperman.Catchphrase: 'See you at the movies.' Also his sign-off words for his last essay.

Roger insisted that his non-functioning lower jaw be shown matter-of-factly to make the point that illness is a fact of life, nothing to be ashamed or frightened about. Asked in an interview why a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic would choose to work with a sexplotation director like Russ Meyer, one of Ebert's friends considers for a moment and replies, ' Boobs.'

Author Appeal: Aside from his respectable work as a film critic, we see some of Roger's work as a screenwriter for the infamously raunchy film Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.

It looks at the impact he had on film criticism as well as the industry as a whole, and includes many interviews with people who worked with him and whose careers were impacted by his reviews. The movie chronicles Ebert's story from his early life in Champaign-Urbana to his career as a critic, first at the Chicago Sun-Times and later on TV as half of the famous team Siskel & Ebert all the way through his death (which occurred during filming). It was directed by Steve James (whose earlier film Hoop Dreams was famously championed by Ebert on his TV show) and produced by Martin Scorsese and Steve Zaillian.

Life Itself is a 2014 documentary chronicling the life of Roger Ebert, and based upon his memoir of the same title.

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