By William Wolf

LIFE ITSELF  Send This Review to a Friend

Oh Roger, how courageous and life-loving you were.

Having known Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert for years as a colleague, along with his remarkable wife Chaz, it is quite impossible for me to step back with any sort of objectivity to evaluate “Life Itself,” Steve James’s documentary about Ebert’s life based on Roger’s memoir of the same title. So why try? Seeing the documentary was an especially emotional experience, thanks to the manner in which the filmmaker has explored both Roger’s talent and the tremendous fight he mounted against the cancer that eventually took his life last year.

I remember sharing a taxi with Roger in Toronto, where he regularly attended the annual Toronto International Film Festival, and he mentioned that cancer had been discovered but that he expected treatment to take care of it. As it turned out, when the situation grew progressively worse, with a big part of his jaw gone and a lack of ability to speak, Roger persisted in carrying on his work on his computer, pursuing his career on the internet and writing notes to converse. The last year I saw him in Toronto and said hello, he answered with a smile and a hearty thumbs up.

Roger was not only the most famous critic in the United States, but he set an example of bravery for the world to see for his continued assertion of love of life and his love of movies. To the credit of James, as well as presenting the professional side of him, the director doesn’t flinch from showing Roger in all his illness and facial ravages. That’s a part of Roger’s story, and since he thought of himself as a journalist as well as a critic, it is fitting that his story be told honestly.

There is another heroic story within this film—that of Roger’s loving and devoted wife Chaz. The film reveals the strong bond between her and Roger, the happiness they achieved together and an extent of what she had to suffer in trying to care for him, hoping for the best, while trying to come to terms with his worsening condition. This part of their love is both uplifting and heart-wrenching as we observe Roger’s respect and admiration for Chaz and hers for Roger. The statements by Chaz, and her description of the peacefulness shown when she and her beloved Roger had to realize it was really time to let go is unforgettable. The film stands as a model, practically and spiritually, for others who may have to face the loss of a loved one under dire conditions.

Director James provides a portrait of Roger by means of his own words, clips reflecting his career and comments from those who knew and worked with him. Throughout there is evidence of the success Roger achieved, his love of Chicago, his teaming with Gene Siskel for their popular show, the earlier untimely death of Siskel, the closeness they felt even though they argued and various aspects of Roger’s writing trail, including doing the screenplay for “Valley of the Dolls.” There is also humor at times, very appropriate, given the terrific sense of humor Roger had and his joy at being a skillful raconteur.

This is clearly a tribute film, but unlike in some cases in which filmmakers must strain to laud their subject, the tribute of “Life Itself” is clearly well-deserved. So, here’s to Roger, here’s to Chaz, and here’s to Steve James for making such thorough and moving film. A CNN and Magnolia Pictures presentation. Reviewed Monday, June 30, 2014.

  

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