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Maybe someday
36
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
55/100Critics
17/100Scholars
Author:
Matt Singer
Publisher:
G.P. Putnam's Sons
Date:
October 24, 2023
On a cold Saturday afternoon in 1975, two men (who had known each other for eight years before they'd ever exchanged a word) met for lunch in a Chicago pub. Gene Siskel was the film critic for the Chicago Tribune. Roger Ebert had recently won the Pulitzer Prizeâthe first ever awarded to a film criticâfor his work at the Chicago Sun-Times. To say they despised each other was an understatement. When they reluctantly agreed to collaborate on a new movie review show with PBS, there was at least as much sparring off-camera as on. No decisionâfrom which films to cover to who would read the lead review to how to pronounce foreign titlesâwas made without conflict, but their often-antagonistic partnership (which later transformed into genuine friendship) made for great television. In the years that followed, their signature "Two thumbs up!" would become the most trusted critical brand in Hollywood.
What The Reviewers Say
Engaging.
Singer is an unabashed fan, and...he lovingly chronicles their serendipitous, long-running partnership.
inger interviews producers and those who were close to the men, providing an expansive portrait of how two movie critics became unlikely stars themselves. The book ends with a rundown of some of the films that Siskel and Ebert gave glowing reviews to that have now entered relative obscurity. Recommended for wide purchase with, what else, an enthusiastic thumbs up..
The author’s fulsome praise aside, there’s no questioning that Siskel and Ebert were a cultural phenomenon, and while it’s debatable that they 'invented an entirely new kind of film criticism,' they certainly had an impact. Since both critics were dead at the writing of this book, Singer relies on copious previously published accounts—and YouTube–archived episodes of their shows—for their voices. Interviews with both men’s widows and with former production staff help flesh out the history. Readers who recall Siskel and Ebert will be delighted by this opportunity to reminisce..
