The Odd Couple of Movie Criticism

Roger Ebert writes about the end of the show that he and Gene Siskel started 33 years ago, reflecting on the relationship they shared and some of the memories. Ebert describes the nature of their relationship:

"Did Gene and I hate each other? Yes. Did we love each other? Yes. Somehow an outtake from a promo session has found its way on YouTube, where in a single take you can see us bitterly sniping at one another and then happily joking together. It was like that. 'You have the entire staff in terror of you,' I told him. 'That's funny,' he said. 'That's what they tell me about you.' We were both terrible to work with. And great to work with."

I can't recall when or how, but by the time I discovered their show, Siskel and Ebert were already pretty well established. When he worked at the old movie theatre next to Four Seasons Town Centre, my brother told me that one of his managers had told him that Siskel and Ebert had at one point had the power to make or break movies simply by giving them their thumbs up or a thumbs down. Apparently that level of influence went back to their early days on PBS. (By the time I stumbled across their show, it was on one of the other networks.)

As movie fans, my brother and I, like many other people, developed a respect and appreciation for the reviews Siskel and Ebert gave. They didn't influence all of our movie-going and movie-viewing habits, but they definitely contributed to us being more or less enthusiastic and open-minded about certain movies. Hearing their passionate recommendations made me excited about seeing movies I otherwise wouldn't have considered (or, in some cases, even known about). And in reverse fashion, they sometimes made me less interested in seeing movies I had previously thought were must-see movies. It was always fascinating to find out what one or both noticed about the movies they watched. They made me more aware of things that were worth paying attention to while watching a movie, and they revealed the different ways and multiple levels by which a movie could be enjoyed and appreciated.

What took the show to an even higher level was the entertainment value of not only their reviews but also their interactions with one another. While they shared a love of movies, Siskel and Ebert couldn't have looked any more different physically nor could they have possessed less similar personalities. Their differences added a dramatic tension that made watching them more entertaining and even more suspenseful. By watching them, you learned a bit about their individual tastes and idiosyncrasies, but they also always maintained a level of unpredictability. You never knew for sure how they would feel about a movie or what they might say next.

At some point, I discovered that Ebert also wrote reviews, and I enjoyed reading his writing as much as I enjoyed watching him talk about movies. For as many reviews as he has written all these years, Ebert hasn't run out of the words necessary to write fresh, entertaining reviews.

It made me sad when I learned that Siskel had passed away. After having different critics take turns sitting in Siskel's chair alongside Ebert, Richard Roeper ended up with the uneviable task of trying to replace Siskel in the balcony. More recently, Ebert has suffered problems with his own health. It's good that he's back to writing, and even though it sounds like big changes are in store, it's comforting to know that the show might still survive "in a new venue."

Thanks, Siskel and Ebert and Roeper, for sharing with us your love for the movies!