The Bat Cave

Starring: Roger Ebert
Director: Steve James (Prefontaine, Hoop Dreams

Bottom Line: I was expecting a bit more from Life Itself after seeing it ranked as the co-#1 movie of 2014 (along with Whiplash) by Coming Soon’s . Still, it was an enjoyable documentary that chronicles the life of famed film critic Roger Ebert, detailing his rise from college newspaper editor to famous film critic, his partnership and strained relationship with Gene Siskel, his battle with alcoholism, and, ultimately, the fight for his life. It’s a good film and Ebert had an interesting life, but it obviously didn’t resonate with me emotionally in the way that it has for others and my feeling after watching it was that I would enjoy reading Ebert’s book of the same name significantly more. If you love movies and appreciate Ebert’s work, you will probably like this, but it’s not exactly a must see.

Replay Value: One viewing will be enough for me.
Sequel Potential: N/A
Oscar Potential: Not even a Documentary nomination…

Grade: 6/10 (Recommended)