What Roger Ebert Taught Us

Film critic Roger Ebert's passing this week left us with an amazing body of work.  And some big shoes to fill. 

The news this week of the passing of film critic Roger Ebert surprised a lot of people.  I mean, the guy survived two cancers which left him speechless, yet he continued to write upwards of 200 reviews per year.  Frankly, many of us thought he would survive into his 80's, filling the pages of the Chicago Sun Times with reviews to last us nearly a lifetime.

As I think back on an amazing career, it's clear that Ebert was one of the first to make a transition few people have: from print journalism, to television, and then to the Internet, becoming more popular with each move.  But, that's not all he taught us.  Here now are the things I've learned from Roger Ebert:

1. The greatest marketing tool is your thumb: Granted, Ebert didn't look like a rock star, nor did "At the Movies" co-host and Tribune critic Gene Siskel for whom Ebert became forever associated.  But those thumbs sure did become iconic.  In one of the greatest marketing tools ever conceived, the idea of a simple thumbs up/down grade for your movie probably affected theater traffic 20% while providing audiences with a simple way to know if a movie was worth their time.  Sure, Ebert and Siskel's bantering was also good TV fodder, but it was done with collegiality, resulting in a mutual friendship that lasted until Siskel's death in 1999.  If the two demonstrated anything, it's that short pudgy guys and balding men CAN be successful on television.
2. One part criticism, two parts education:  My earliest memories of Ebert date back to 1979, when "At the Movies" aired on PBS.  There, I learned about the essence of film on a weekly basis with he and Siskel providing the instruction.  In a day when three stations ruled the airwaves and the Internet was merely in Al Gore's dreams, "At the Movies" was the only show of its kind.  But Ebert did more than simply judge: his weekly opinions and critical banter taught me the essence of reviewing, demonstrating that two people could look at the same movie but somehow have wildly different opinions on it.  I guess this is where my love for film criticism has it genesis - simply put, it's the reason why I do it today.  Ebert taught me to look at movies beyond their mere eye candy, to judge whether scenes were effectively structured, edited, and matched with appropriate music.  Ebert stripped down the glitz of movies like no one else, demonstrating how they mirror our own lives without straying too far into the critical weeds to provide his final judgement.  That kind of sharp intellect created an impression on me that endures to today.

Ebert's passing leaves a huge hole in the profession.  Will Leonard Maltin pick up the torch?  Or Roger Roeper?  Unlikely.  Sure, we have sites like Metacritic to collect reviewers from all over the Internet, but none of them could ever match the laser-like effectiveness or the deep respect for film that Ebert brought.

In a time when everyone writes about everything on their minds, few spoke with such clarity, precision, or commanded a 50-year body of knowledge like Roger Ebert.  And while I never met him, I felt I knew the guy because his morals and values were impressed upon each review.  I've borrowed that and a ton of other lessons, which I hope will make me a better critic.  We could all use a little Roger Ebert in our lives, and I thank you sir for showing me how it's done.  

You will be missed.