Life Itself (2014)

Film critic Roger Ebert in his element in "Life Itself."

Roger Ebert’s career actually began with a remarkable moment of serendipity. When the regular critic at the Chicago Sun-Times stepped down in 1967, Ebert was asked by his editor to take over the role, thereby beginning a reign at the newspaper that would last well over four decades and ultimately—thanks to syndication and a groundbreaking, wildly popular television partnership with Gene Siskel—establish the bespectacled journalist from Urbana, Illinois as the most recognized and influential American critic of all time.

That Ebert never actually auditioned to be a movie critic in the first place is perhaps one of the more surprising and little known facts in “Life Itself,” the voluminous, brilliant documentary based on Ebert’s wonderful autobiography of the same name.

Near the end of his life, Ebert suffered complications from cancer that left him without a lower jawbone and unable to eat or speak; however, he appears in the film mostly from a hospital room where he briefly speaks on camera with the help of a computerized voice on his laptop. It was from here that he continued to work, writing as much as he could—reviews, Twitter posts, online journal entries, emails—until his death in 2013.

Juxtaposed with these heartbreaking, inspirational moments, “Life Itself” features countless clips, pictures and other media of Ebert during his years as a journalist, reminding viewers—from his early days running The Daily Illini, the school newspaper of his alma mater, the University of Illinois—that Ebert was first and foremost, a great newspaperman.

Later, he would become a formidable voice in criticism. The film notes Ebert’s erudite recognition of significant achievements in moviemaking over the years, which helped launch the careers of directors like Martin Scorsese and the documentarian Errol Morris (“Gates of Heaven”). Even Steve James, the director of “Life Itself,” can trace the wellspring of his success back to Ebert (James’ 1994 film “Hoop Dreams” was one of the critic’s favorite films).

Ebert became a mainstream fixture when he hooked up with a fellow critic and the two started a weekly public television program that went on to become the venerable major network movie reviewing show, Siskel & Ebert, with its legendary arguments and iconic thumbs-up, thumbs-down rating system. The movie covers how the relationship between a pair of proud scribes from competing newspapers in Chicago evolved from prickly rivalry, to mutual respect, and finally to deep, genuine and lasting friendship.

Siskel died from brain cancer in 1999. Much like Ebert, albeit more privately, he was determined to keep working as long as he could, even watching movies and taping segments from the hospital. Ebert wrote his last blog post two days before he died; it ended with the words, “I’ll see you at the movies.”

“Life Itself” is a sad, joyous, fitting denouement—moving, masterful and unforgettable.