The balcony is closed.
On April 4, 2013, famed critic from the Chicago Sun Times, Roger Ebert passed away at the age of 70 after a battle with cancer. Ebert reviewed movies for the Chicago Sun Times for 46 years. However, most will remember him for his long-running TV series AT THE MOVIES, with his good friend and oftentimes newspaper rival, Gene Siskel, and then with Richard Roeper after Siskel's death. For the general population, what they'll remember are Ebert's two magical thumbs that could be either be the death knell for a movie, or it's loudest ringing endorsement. For many others, however, Ebert's contributions to the world of film criticism and simple film adoration will be felt and remembered forever.
I remember watching reruns of AT THE MOVIES on PBS when I was younger, loving when the skinny, bald guy and the jolly, fat guy would argue. As I got older and started to really listen to what they had to say, I was enthralled. I loved watching movies. But the way they talked about them made me want to see what they saw, think like they thought. When I got older still, I sought out Ebert's reviews and devoured them with immense pleasure. I didn't always agree, but they got me thinking. And most of all, they were fun to read. I could feel his love, or his disappointment in a film. It was how I wanted to write.
Roger Ebert loved movies. Except for the ones he hated. But for a film with an ambitious director, fantastic plot, amazing cast or, if you were lucky, all of the above, there was no greater advocate than Roger Ebert. Ebert passionately and unabashedly championed film excellence more than perhaps any film critic in history. You could tell when Roger Ebert really adored a film because the way he wrote about it was like a love letter to the one girl that has had your heart forever. You could feel the emotion on the page. Every Ebert review was as if he had taken his heart out of his chest and said, "See? This is how I feel about this movie."
Of course, Ebert didn't love every movie. Though, unlike too many critics today, he was never critical to the point of cruelty. "I'm not mad," his reviews would sigh. "I'm just disappointed." Unlike many critics, Ebert also went into every film with the hope that it would blow him away. When it didn't, he would tell you. But he would tell you with such a sharp wit and deep breadth of knowledge, that even when you disagreed with him, you were still entertained. And best of all, he would give you alternatives. "This movie may have been derivative or unsuccessful because x, y and z, but here's a film that gets it all right!" That is what made Ebert truly special.
There was no bigger advocate for films (blockbuster and indie alike) than Roger Ebert. For Ebert saw the value in all things cinema. "Sure, this big Hollywood blockbuster is a mediocre cash-grab, but there's this great indie picture playing at the 2 dollar cinema that's amazing!" Roger Ebert gave indie films popular appeal. And his passion for independent film helped introduce a new generation of filmmakers to the world. But, apart from this, he was also a major champion of African American filmmakers. If not for Ebert, a film like HOOP DREAMS may have never made it past Sundance audiences. While just about every critic in the country was panning Spike Lee's DO THE RIGHT THING, Ebert saw it for the biting social commentary that it was and devoted an entire episode of AT THE MOVIES to talk about Lee, his film and his contribution to filmmaking.
But apart from the films themselves, Roger Ebert was the "Dean of Film Criticism." Through his articles, books and television show, Ebert provided insight into the world of cinema while simultaneously allowing for more scholars and arm-chair critics alike to join in the conversation. When the internet took the world by storm, Ebert was on the forefront. He was one of the first ever major critics to have an online blog dedicated to film criticism. When he felt as though he was trapped in the present, Ebert started revisiting old films and publishing reviews on those. When cancer took his ability to speak, he became an even larger presence online - with an output that would put any 20-something film critic to shame.
But he loved those 20-something film critics. It is because of Roger Ebert that people even know about most of the online critics they read today. Ebert was one of the biggest proponents for the immense array of talent that was out there in cyber space that no one knew about. Oftentimes one could find Ebert tweeting links to unknown critics whose reviews he found interesting, enlightening, funny or whatever. Through his yearly film festival, Ebertfest, he would also invite countless lesser known film critics to take part in the festivities, giving them a larger audience than they could have ever fathomed. Every film critic today owes something to Roger Ebert.
During his later years, after a long battle with cancer took his jaw and his ability to speak, Roger Ebert became a renaissance man of sorts. His voracious writing only enhanced as he began to write about things as varied as fast food joints around Chicago, wine and politics. Despite being very sick, Ebert never let his presence stop being felt. Cancer might have taken his physical voice, but Roger Ebert would not be silenced. His continued work at the Chicago Sun Times and on his blog acted then and now as a testament to the human spirit and ability to enjoy life to the fullest extent.
Through his personable demeanor and unwavering love of film, the Pultizer-prize winning film critic captured the hearts of film-lovers, casual film-goers, and filmmakers alike. Ebert was a film critic you read if you wanted to fall in love with movies. He was passionate, humorous and most of all accessible. A film scholar for the common man. Roger Ebert is one of the biggest influences on my life and what I love to do. Without him, I don't know if I would be the person I am today and have the same immense love that I have for film. Needless to say, his influence on the world of independent filmmaking, film criticism and all-around cinephilia can never be overestimated. Roger Ebert is a shining example of how to live life to the fullest. Most of all, his sincerity, work ethic, even in the face of cancer, and genuine love of life should act as inspirations for not only film critics, but for everyone.
I never got to meet Roger Ebert. But maybe one day I'll see him at the movies.
