Film Review: Life Itself


Life Itself

KARTEMQUIN FILMS

There’s a scene early in Life Itself when a hospitalized Roger Ebert, missing his lower jaw after multiple surgeries for thyroid cancer, needs his throat suctioned. The camera holds steady as Ebert winces through the procedure, but then an email box pops up on the screen. “great stuff!!!!!” types Ebert, no longer able to speak. “I’m happy we got a great thing that nobody ever sees: suction.” Director Steve James (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters) blends an intimate end-of-life story with Ebert’s wide-ranging biography: precocious college newspaper editor, recovering drunk, screenwriter of the schlocky Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, friend and critic of Hollywood’s biggest names. But for all of Ebert’s exploits, it’s the private moments James captures, like his increasingly brief email responses as cancer slowly wins out, that endure.

This review originally appeared in our September/October issue of Mother Jones. 

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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