I grew up watching Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert talk about the new releases. They mostly seemed to agree on whether a film was really good or really bad, but they would also spar with each other when they disagreed. It was fun watching these two, and I still miss their show. I recently started watching the old episodes on YouTube, so I thought I’d bring you along for the trip down memory lane.
I’ve been a movie buff for as long as I can remember. I loved seeing advertisements for films in the theater and on video, so when “Two thumbs up from Siskel and Ebert” appeared on the air, I was hooked.
Their program aired at 11:30 on Saturday nights in my area, so I forced myself to stay awake to watch it. It didn’t take too long to get into that routine, and I looked forward to their shows every week.
They made many memorable special episodes, such as a “Best of” and “Worst of” for the previous year’s movies. They also had an “If We Picked the Winners” special with their picks on who and what would win in the upcoming Oscars.
To this day, I wonder if they shared a brain. In 1994, they both picked North as the worst movie of the year. In 1996, they both chose Fargo as the best. Also, in 1996, they decided to flip a coin for one of them to have the bragging rights to call the worst film of the year as their own, and that was Mad Dog Time. Siskel won, and Ebert had to settle for the second-worst, a French film named Little Indian, Big City.
I often wondered if Siskel supplied the coin that always decided in his favor. The coin toss also settled several of their dilemmas, such as the order of their names. Ebert thought it should’ve been “Ebert & Siskel” because he was a film critic longer, he was the oldest, and it just made sense alphabetically. However, once they decided, it stuck for the rest of their time together.
While watching these old episodes, I found myself laughing as though I was seeing them for the first time. I loved their review of Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996). Siskel thought it was “audacious, clever, and very funny.” He praised it a couple of more times, but the tables turned when he gave the floor to Ebert. Ebert was appalled by the film and called it “awful, dreadful, terrible, stupid, idiotic, unfunny, labored, forced, painful, [and] bad.” It was funny watching Siskel try to get a word in while Ebert gave out these adjectives. I thought it was a decent comedy, but not quite as praiseworthy as Siskel believed.
Another hilarious moment was when they reviewed Home Alone 3 (1997). Siskel said, “the story makes no sense and [he] feels for every family suckered into seeing [this movie].” Ebert replied, “now this is going to astound you, but I’m giving the movie ‘thumbs up.'” Siskel then said, “It does astound me. Are you okay?” I still love their bickering.
There are also times when I did not share their opinions. Ebert gave thumbs down to Dead Poets Society (1989), calling it “recycled” and “predictable.” He also gave thumbs down to Batman (1989). While Ebert praised the art direction and special effects, he did not care for the characters. I thought Bruce Wayne and Vicki Vale had a great love story, and I would’ve liked to see more of them in the sequels.
Siskel did not care for The Silence of the Lambs (1991). He called it “depressingly brutal” and “lacking in redemptive quality.” I wonder if he changed his mind about it after it won five Oscars, including Best Picture. He also didn’t care for The Big Lebowski (1998), calling it a “would-be comedy” and a “big disappointment.” I guess even the greats can be wrong at times.
Siskel developed a brain tumor in 1998 and had to do the show from his hospital bed for a few weeks. He eventually returned to the show appearing gaunt and weaker than he did before. I was sad to see him in that state and had high hopes of him returning when he announced in early 1999 that he was taking another leave of absence. Sadly, on February 20, 1999, Siskel passed away.
Ebert hosted a special episode celebrating his longtime friend and partner before moving on to find another co-host. He tried out several guest critics but found that Richard Roeper was a good replacement. He continued the show with Ebert until mid-2006. It was great seeing two critics back at it again, but it was never the same without Siskel. I thought of it as a way of one veteran critic inspiring a younger critic.
As time went on, I noticed Ebert’s voice started changing. I assumed that he had a stroke at some point, but nothing fatal. Eventually, I learned that he had thyroid cancer and had many surgeries to fix it. Ebert permanently left the show to have surgery that required removing his lower jaw. I missed hearing him share his reviews, but I was glad he was still writing them. To this day, I think his review of Wet Hot American Summer (2001) was one of his best. He reviewed a bad movie in a funny and clever fashion.
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) [2009] is the worst movie I’ve ever seen. The only thing about it that I liked was Ebert’s review of it: “I am required to award stars to movies I review. This time, I refuse to do it. The star rating system is unsuited to this film. Is the movie good? Is it bad? Does it matter? It is what it is and occupies a world where the stars don’t shine.” Amen to that.
On April 4, 2013, I was shocked and sad to learn that Ebert passed away. It seemed like he was on the road to a strong recovery. However, his legacy, voice, and reviews will live on, and many current film critics call Ebert their inspiration. I still read his reviews to this day and wonder how he got his wit.
Siskel’s print reviews are notably shorter than Ebert’s. Siskel writes his reviews in a few paragraphs, while Ebert’s seem like they could consume their own page. Growing up on the west coast, though, I haven’t read their reviews in physical copies of Siskel and Ebert’s respective newspapers: the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. I’ve only read them online.
I think watching Siskel and Ebert made me love films even more. It’s nice to have someone else to talk about movies with at the same level. Rather than just quoting films (which is still a pastime of mine) and talking about various scenes, it’s refreshing to critique them too. I sure miss seeing these kinds of programs about people talking about film.
Siskel and Ebert ended each episode with the statement, “Until then, the balcony is closed.” It would be nice if it were still open.
