Life Itself

The film’s power lies in its use of archive footage, voiceover and even Ebert’s computerised speech translator to keep the writer’s voice alive.

The irony is that Ebert famously lost his actual voice. Yet as the extraordinary documentary Life Itself shows, that couldn’t quiet one of America’s most beloved critics and cultural commentators.

James — the director of Hoop Dreams and The Interrupters — gives us a sense of Ebert as a man who kept reinventing life as he went along — out of necessity, sure, though he also took some pleasure in adapting. It couldn't always have been easy, but that, too, is part of the story.

Life itself, that loaded two-word phrase, is what Roger really wrote about when he wrote about movies.

Life Itself is a joy for people who love movies or who love anything with an unwavering passion.

Eloquent, it is surprisingly moving and beautifully structured.

There's a sense throughout of Steve James rushing and dutifully covering all his bases to evade accusations of creating a puff piece.

Documentary film maker Steve James' story of Roger Ebert's life in a documentary form is the best cinematic experience for fans and critics to enjoy. Reading his reviews inspired me to explain my feelings and elegant details toward a film in writing; his life is interesting and so Siskels. Grade A

An uplifting and inspirational movie about Ebert's colorful life up to his last day, where sickness did not take over him instead, he thought it was the right moment to let go.

An uplifting and mesmerizing experience that should change your view of life. You can take Roger Ebert's life for an example, he lived his life enjoying every second of it and fought up to his last day where he had to let go and not because sickness took over him, but because he felt it is the right time. Two thumbs up, and may God bless your soul.

I was wondering what happened to the well-known critic, Roger Ebert, whenever it comes to 2013 and ahead movies. Not seemed to know he was dead in the first place, I decided to watch Life Itself. Wow, even critics have spirits as well.

Life Itself is a documentary about the life the legendary film critic, Roger Ebert. The movie is based on his autobiography, which is also titled "Life itself". The movie is full of intriguing and personal moments in the life of Ebert and events that led to his death. Growing up outside USA, I never watched Ebert's TV shows ("Sneak Previews" and "At the Movies") and I never read his critics (on Chicago Sun-Times). This movie shed some light on Ebert's life and showed me why he was such an influential figure. But at the same time, I could not care about Ebert more than any other successful professional person I know. The movie shows what an exceptional critic Ebert was, and at the same time, shows he was not very different from any other ordinary man. If you like cinema and history of it or if you like movies about movies, Life Itself is the right movie for you. Otherwise, Life Itself can be boring and you will leave the theater asking your self "Why should I care about Ebert?"