Roger Ebert’s impact on film criticism will not be forgotten

Film critics are not celebrities. You never ask your friends who their top five critics are or catch up on the gossip of the hottest reviewers.

Off the top of your head, name one film critic or reviewer. There is a good chance that the only one you could think of is Roger Ebert, and that comes with good reason. He coined the phrase “thumbs up,” he was the first man to win the Pulitzer Award for film criticism and is regarded as a god among film buffs and critics.

So, why so much acclaim? Because he’s a freaking good writer. He recently lost his battle with cancer, so I thought it would be fitting to pay tribute to the man who got me interested in writing about movies.

He began his illustrious career in 1967 writing film reviews for the Chicago-Sun Times, and continued writing for them in association with his website the rest of his career.

He really gained traction in the public eye when he joined another critic, Gene Siskel, for a TV show in 1986, “Siskel and Ebert at the Movies,” which was later shortened to “Siskel and Ebert,” where they talked about movies. This is where Siskel and Ebert trademarked their famous “thumbs up/thumbs down” review summary. The show took on many names and variations between stations. Even with Siskel’s passing in 1999, Ebert continued doing television reviews until 2011.

What people loved about his reviews were how simple yet sophisticated they were. He made it fairly clear what was good and bad about a film, and would explain in great detail, which was complemented by his four-star rating system.

People also looked forward to the reviews of films he hated, because he wouldn’t just disapprove of them, he would rip them apart. If I had made a bad movie, Ebert is the last person I would want to see it. You could feel the venom ooze from the text, and you would also feel your sides splitting from how funny they are. His insults were blunt, cringe-worthy, clever and hilarious. In his review for the film Brown Bunny, he said, “I had a colonoscopy once, and they let me watch it on TV. It was more entertaining than The Brown Bunny.”

While his regular reviews were good, his series of special reviews that featured in-depth critiques of great movies were a testament to the poetry of his writing. This man didn’t just dissect movies, he performed hardcore surgery on them. His pen was the scalpel and he would use it to tear into the premise, locate the flaws, analyze the plot and remove the hidden messages. I think Ebert knew more about the vision and meaning of a film than the director. If I could pay someone to help me kidnap Ebert, so I could discuss film with him, that man would have a blank check with my name on it.

What I think makes a great critic, and Ebert is the prime example, is one who you can totally disagree with, but you can still understand where they are coming from. There are quite a few of Ebert’s reviews where I thought to myself, “How the hell did you not like that movie,” or “Why the hell did you like that movie?” However, Ebert was so eloquent and fair in how he articulated his opinions, that even if he were to write about why the Twilight series are the greatest films to grace our generation, I would still be able to respect his opinion.

Roger Ebert’s passing is sad not just because it’s the loss of a human being, but it’s also the loss of an architect in film criticism. Ebert penetrated the mainstream like no critic before him. He got people talking about movies in ways they didn’t ever think of. The brunt of most people’s discussions of a film is if they are good or bad, but they rarely think of why? After I first started reading his reviews, I began thinking about the acting, presentation, message, vision, and direction of the movies I was watching. I now expect more from my movies and I have greater appreciation for the ones I love, and a greater hatred of the ones I don’t.

Roger Ebert, you were a great writer and really got me into film. I give your life and accomplishments two massive thumbs up, and I hope you can find Siskel up there to tell him about all the movies he has missed.

Advocate Staff