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Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever
Once upon a time, if you wanted to know if a movie was worth seeing, you didn’t check out Rotten Tomatoes or IMDB.
You asked whether Siskel & Ebert had given it “two thumbs up.”
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 Prize—the first ever awarded to a film critic—for 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 decision—from which films to cover to who would read the lead review to how to pronounce foreign titles—was 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.
In Opposable Thumbs , award-winning editor and film critic Matt Singer eavesdrops on their iconic balcony set, detailing their rise from making a few hundred dollars a week on local Chicago PBS to securing multimillion-dollar contracts for a syndicated series (a move that convinced a young local host named Oprah Winfrey to do the same). Their partnership was cut short when Gene Siskel passed away in February of 1999 after a battle with brain cancer that he’d kept secret from everyone outside his immediate family—including Roger Ebert, who never got to say goodbye to his longtime partner. But their influence on in the way we talk about (and think about) movies continues to this day.
You asked whether Siskel & Ebert had given it “two thumbs up.”
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 Prize—the first ever awarded to a film critic—for 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 decision—from which films to cover to who would read the lead review to how to pronounce foreign titles—was 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.
In Opposable Thumbs , award-winning editor and film critic Matt Singer eavesdrops on their iconic balcony set, detailing their rise from making a few hundred dollars a week on local Chicago PBS to securing multimillion-dollar contracts for a syndicated series (a move that convinced a young local host named Oprah Winfrey to do the same). Their partnership was cut short when Gene Siskel passed away in February of 1999 after a battle with brain cancer that he’d kept secret from everyone outside his immediate family—including Roger Ebert, who never got to say goodbye to his longtime partner. But their influence on in the way we talk about (and think about) movies continues to this day.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published October 24, 2023
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October 25, 2023
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert are arguably the best known movie reviewers in the history of cinema. The film critics were first brought together in 1976, to host a television show called 'Opening Soon...at a Theater Near You' on Chicago's PBS station. At the time, Siskel and Ebert were bitter rivals.
Roger Ebert (left) and Gene Siskel on 'Opening Soon...at a Theater Near You'
Ebert was the movie critic for the 'Chicago Sun-Times' and Siskel was the movie critic for the 'Chicago Tribune', and they saw each other as more than competitors; they were closer to mortal enemies. "Each considered it an essential aspect of their job to beat the other: to write the best review, to land the biggest interview, to score the best scoops." Nevertheless, the journalists agreed to pair up for the 'Opening Soon...at a Theater Near You' show, which had a lot of possibilities.
In the 1970s, American movies were on an upswing, with films like Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' and George Lucas' 'Star Wars.' In addition, a written movie review could only DESCRIBE the subject, while a television critic could show clips, "giving the audience a real taste of what the film looked and sounded like." So the time seemed right for a televised movie review program that would appeal to cinephiles.
According to producer Thea Flaum, Roger and Gene were chosen to host 'Opening Soon...at a Theater Near You' because they were both very good critics, very smart, and they played off each other well. For example: In the pilot, Ebert observed that 1975 marked the eleventh year of the 'Chicago International Film Festival', and quipped, "I can remember when it could have been held in a hotel room, so few people turned up." And Gene responded, "I can remember when some of the films they showed deserved being shown in a hotel room." Siskel and Ebert would also good-naturedly mock each other's appearance on air, with Gene calling Roger "fat", and Roger calling Gene "bald."
Over the years, the show's popularity grew, and the program evolved into 'Sneak Previews' in 1978; 'At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert' in 1982; and Buena Vista Television's 'Siskel and Ebert and the Movies' (later renamed 'Siskel and Ebert') in 1986.
Gene Siskel (left) and Roger Ebert in 'Siskel and Ebert and the Movies'
Author Matt Singer did his research, and provides details about the various iterations of the show: the people involved, the construction of the sets, the formats, the movies reviewed, the film clips, how the the thumbs up/thumbs down rating developed, the hosts' salaries, etc.
Roger Ebert (left) and Gene Siskel demonstrating their trademarked thumbs up/thumbs down rating system
Singer also writes about Roger and Gene's ongoing rivalry, which was was never-ending. For instance, Ebert won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1975, and this 'drove Siskel crazy.' One Chicago Tribune editor recalls Siskel's compulsive focus on beating Ebert to stories, often using sneakiness and trickery.
Case in point: Ebert was setting up interviews with George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg all at once. According to Gene, he himself immediately flew to both coasts and a few days later he had interviews with all three actors in the 'Chicago Tribune.' "I have the ability," Siskel bragged, "to look [Roger] straight in the eye and lie to him and he can't tell." Singer writes, "Paying close attention to Ebert's schedule - and sometimes using that information to try to scoop him - was a pastime of Siskel's." For Ebert's part, he would sometimes fake an out-of-town trip to throw Siskel off the scent.
In another illustration of the partners' competitiveness, when Roger and Gene appeared on 'Saturday Night Live', "Ebert had to count every word of dialogue - not lines of dialogue, WORDS of dialogue - to make sure they each had exactly the same-size part.
Gene Siskel (left) and Roger Ebert on 'Saturday Night Live'
And then there was the dispute over whose name came first in the show's title. Roger and Gene had intense debates about this, and Roger agreed to use 'At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert' IF after two years the title was changed to 'At the Movies with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.' But somehow the switch never happened.
Part of Siskel and Ebert's success was due to their honest assessments of movies, and to their frequent disagreements - which could be passionate, heated, and fun to watch. By the late 1980s Siskel and Ebert no longer hated each other (and in fact became good friends), but they often projected the sense that they hated each other's OPINIONS. Singer writes, "You can see Roger's or Gene's genuine shock in many of their best debates, when they not only don't agree about the film, but clearly hadn't even considered the possibility that the other might not agree."
Siskel and Ebert often disagreed about films
To illustrate, Siskel and Ebert reviewed the 1990 movie 'Stella' (starring Bette Midler), a remake of the 1930s movie 'Stella Dallas' (starring Barbara Stanwyck).
Both movies were about a single mother who stops at nothing to ensure her daughter's happiness. Roger called the 1990 film "a great tearjerker with a big heart" with "a quality a lot of more sophisticated films lack, which is that it makes us really care about the characters." Gene saw it differently, saying "We have a WILDLY big difference of opinion on this picture. I was really unhappy watching all of this. I was almost embarrassed for the people in the picture!"
To bolster his argument, Ebert noted that when he saw 'Stella' at a local sneak preview in Chicago, "everyone in the theater was blowing their noses, honking." To which Siskel shot back, "Well, there's a lot of flu going around."
In their weekly show, Siskel and Ebert would review four to six movies, and then each man would name the 'Dog of the Week' (or later 'Stinker of the Week') - the worst film they'd recently seen. Singer observes, "Gene or Roger would introduce a clip from a terrible bomb and then rapid-fire one joke after another about the cast, the director, the awful dialogue, or the ludicrous premise."
Siskel and Ebert had a 'Dog of the Week' segment on their show
Siskel and Ebert would also occasionally host "Special Editions", where they would discuss a specific topic, like 'Buried Treasures' (overlooked good films), cult movies, movie trends, Oscar-worthy films, violence in movies, etc.
As Siskel and Ebert became more famous, they branched out to appear on talk shows like Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Oprah Winfrey, etc.
Siskel and Ebert with Johnny Carson
Additionally, when 'Sesame Street' added a recurring parody of their show, Roger and Gene showed up to teach Telly Monster and Oscar the Grouch their "critic exercises, which consisted of chanting Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! over and over while gesturing accordingly."
Muppets doing Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
Both Siskel and Ebert eventually died from serious illnesses, Gene from brain cancer in 1999, and Roger from metastatic cancer in 2013, and Singer covers both sad occurrences in depth. During their illnesses, both reviewers were strongly supported by their wives, Marlene Iglitzen (Gene's spouse) and Chaz Ebert (Roger's spouse).
Gene Siskel's wife Marlene Iglitzen
Rober Ebert's wife Chaz Ebert
Luckily, Siskel and Ebert live on in their work, and episodes of their shows can be seen online. I watched some of the Siskel and Ebert programs on YouTube, and they're amusing, entertaining, and informative. It would be great if all the television episodes became available for streaming. (Are you listening Netflix?)
In an appendix, Singer describes twenty-five titles that received two thumbs up from Roger and Gene, but weren't box office hits. The author writes, "This appendix is designed to serve as a print version of one of those 'Buried Treasures' episodes; one more chance for some of Gene and Roger's favorites to find a new audience." You'll have to get hold of the book to learn about these obscure gems.
I liked Siskel and Ebert's television show, and I enjoyed the book. Highly recommended to movie fans.
Thanks to Netgalley, Matt Singer, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for a copy of the manuscript.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
December 17, 2023
"Roger Ebert once said 'Our personalities were in evidence. And our personality conflicts were there. We had chemistry because whatever we felt for each other was real. If it looked like we were mad at each other, it was because we were mad at each other . . . [We were like] tuning forks. Strike one, and the other would pick up on the same frequency.' To put it another way, while [Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert] were both outstanding soloists who could be appreciated on their own, they sounded best when they worked together in harmony, or in their case, disharmony." -- page 101
Absolutely, unquestionably, and hands-down one of my favorite books of 2023, Singer's Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever delves fully into that celebrated long-running televised partnership between the competing movie critic / newspaper columnists Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times. Initially paired as hosts of a new thirty-minute show on local public television - which would undergo several name changes - in 1976, they eventually became popular and moved into syndication by the early 80's to become a regular fixture on weekend TV until Siskel's early and untimely death in February 1999. (I also can't believe that it's been ten years now since Ebert's passing.). Theirs is a story that often simply boils down to a sort of sibling rivalry - they could disagree and verbally spar about films with an intensity or sharpness that did indeed seem like they were actual blood brothers close in age who knew how to push each other's buttons and endlessly bicker, but likewise they could also turn around and be incredibly supportive and/or complimentary of one another. As a fan of their TV series I very much enjoyed learning about its genesis (which, now almost fifty years later, recalls the saying "Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan", and I'd argue that their initial producer Thea Flaum should be credited as 'mother' of their success in this instance), their personalities, and how their relationship evolved over 23 years during which the U.S. film industry ALSO experienced such monumental changes such as pay cable-television proliferation, videocassettes, and DVDs. Thank goodness that Ebert wrote a number of books, and that a great many episodes of their show are available via uploading to YouTube, because it helps keep alive the unexpected magic of this dynamic duo and their sincere love (and, occasionally and often humorously, utter disgust) of the movies.
Absolutely, unquestionably, and hands-down one of my favorite books of 2023, Singer's Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever delves fully into that celebrated long-running televised partnership between the competing movie critic / newspaper columnists Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times. Initially paired as hosts of a new thirty-minute show on local public television - which would undergo several name changes - in 1976, they eventually became popular and moved into syndication by the early 80's to become a regular fixture on weekend TV until Siskel's early and untimely death in February 1999. (I also can't believe that it's been ten years now since Ebert's passing.). Theirs is a story that often simply boils down to a sort of sibling rivalry - they could disagree and verbally spar about films with an intensity or sharpness that did indeed seem like they were actual blood brothers close in age who knew how to push each other's buttons and endlessly bicker, but likewise they could also turn around and be incredibly supportive and/or complimentary of one another. As a fan of their TV series I very much enjoyed learning about its genesis (which, now almost fifty years later, recalls the saying "Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan", and I'd argue that their initial producer Thea Flaum should be credited as 'mother' of their success in this instance), their personalities, and how their relationship evolved over 23 years during which the U.S. film industry ALSO experienced such monumental changes such as pay cable-television proliferation, videocassettes, and DVDs. Thank goodness that Ebert wrote a number of books, and that a great many episodes of their show are available via uploading to YouTube, because it helps keep alive the unexpected magic of this dynamic duo and their sincere love (and, occasionally and often humorously, utter disgust) of the movies.
October 3, 2023
I had such a wonderful time reading this book even though I never watched Siskel & Ebert’s show when it was on the air. I knew of them as a duo, but by the time I started to pay attention to film criticism it was Ebert & Roeper and reading Ebert’s written reviews. It was so entertaining reading about the start of the show, their arguments, and their appearances on other programs.
I love reading stories about people who are so passionate about a topic, and Siskel and Ebert were definitely passionate about film. I loved seeing the bits about movies they loved profusely. And of course it was funny to see which ones they trashed wholeheartedly. I kept setting the book down to go on YouTube and search for clips of them discussing different movies. Their whole dynamic of being rival newspaper critics, to reluctant/antagonistic co-hosts, to forming such a close partnership that lasted decades was so captivating.
I think that this is a book that will be super enjoyable for movie fans, even if you don’t have a nostalgic connection with Siskel and Ebert themselves. It’s fun to hear about what predictions they made in the past came true and to see bits of their film criticism from the 70s through the late 90s. The book tracks the changing landscape of cinema, but also the changing landscape of film criticism. I definitely recommend checking it out if it sounds interesting to you!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I love reading stories about people who are so passionate about a topic, and Siskel and Ebert were definitely passionate about film. I loved seeing the bits about movies they loved profusely. And of course it was funny to see which ones they trashed wholeheartedly. I kept setting the book down to go on YouTube and search for clips of them discussing different movies. Their whole dynamic of being rival newspaper critics, to reluctant/antagonistic co-hosts, to forming such a close partnership that lasted decades was so captivating.
I think that this is a book that will be super enjoyable for movie fans, even if you don’t have a nostalgic connection with Siskel and Ebert themselves. It’s fun to hear about what predictions they made in the past came true and to see bits of their film criticism from the 70s through the late 90s. The book tracks the changing landscape of cinema, but also the changing landscape of film criticism. I definitely recommend checking it out if it sounds interesting to you!
Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Read
October 15, 2023A lovely portrait of a professional relationship that became a deep (if contentious) friendship, a tacit argument that we live in the media world Siskel and Ebert created, and a secret manifesto about how media consolidation destroys everything it touches. Very good! Highly recommend!
November 15, 2023
I am a Chicagoan and I used to see Roger and Gene around town quite often especially at movie screenings. When Roger was very ill and still going to screenings he once held an elevator door open for me. He was a gentleman despite his illness and I never forgot his kindness. To this day I miss their show. Some networks tried to duplicate their success with other shows featuring film reviewers but no one could capture the magic and chemistry of Siskel and Ebert. Unfortunately we lost both of these men too soon and, while I still follow film criticism, it is not taken as seriously anymore as it was when these two legends were passionately discussing and arguing over films. I often go the movies at The Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago and there is a framed photo of them in the hall which makes me sad but also makes me smile. Thanks for the fabulous memories, guys. What a grand time they gave us.
March 28, 2023
Back in the '70's, all tv was must-see. Streaming, if considered at all, was the stuff of science fiction. No time-shifting was possible. If you wanted to see a show, you had to sit, pay attention, at special airing times. And for our household, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert in their various incarnations were absolutely the must see for Sunday nights. We loved when they bickered, when they agreed. All of the above. How they'd not trash obvious clunkers, but films that we may want to actually go out and see, pay cash for, get a babysitter for, see on a big screen. We didn't doubt their sincerity, in fact, that subject never came up. So when something we thought we wanted to see was given negative reviews, most especially when both agreed it was a turkey, we were saved.
As Singer points out, they were the first success in reality tv. In one of the pitfalls of tv production, when promoters actually mis-used one of their quotes while reviewing a Gene Wilder/Richard Prior film they both hated, an incredulous Siskel remarked "This is the funniest movie of the year????!!!!????" The ad campaign ran just the words without the inflection. Although I found some of the material to be repetitive, the book shed light on the history of their collaboration and the qualities that made them unique in their given niche. I had previously read and loved Ebert's memoir, Life Itself, but was happy to revisit him, and to learn more about Siskel who hadn't written such a book.
As Singer points out, they were the first success in reality tv. In one of the pitfalls of tv production, when promoters actually mis-used one of their quotes while reviewing a Gene Wilder/Richard Prior film they both hated, an incredulous Siskel remarked "This is the funniest movie of the year????!!!!????" The ad campaign ran just the words without the inflection. Although I found some of the material to be repetitive, the book shed light on the history of their collaboration and the qualities that made them unique in their given niche. I had previously read and loved Ebert's memoir, Life Itself, but was happy to revisit him, and to learn more about Siskel who hadn't written such a book.
March 11, 2023
Growing up, I viewed few things with as much religious devotion as I did the weekly Sunday morning showings of Siskel & Ebert on our local ABC affiliate. We never went to church, and my parents were shocked and outraged when I one day casually denounced the existence of god and proclaimed myself an atheist. I was shocked and outraged that they considered us Christian and expected me to blindly be a believer after growing up in such an irreligious household for my entire life, like what did they really expect? The only church I recognized was our local movie theater, and our more regularly frequented mom-and-pop video rental store, King Video, a modest brick structure painted a bright yellow that eventually grew in size to match the ever-expanding home video market (and much like home video rentals, King Video is gone now, too). I knew our membership number there better than I knew my own phone number. As a movie fan, I tuned in weekly to listen to the dueling sermons from on high and often found myself identifying and most often agreeing with Roger Ebert.
Reading Matthew Singer's Opposable Thumbs, I found even more points of comparison with Ebert, not just as a movie lover but as a fat kid with few friends who spent much of their childhood lost in books. Swap a Chicago suburb for a Detroit suburb and that could have been me to a T. Maybe that's why I always felt that Ebert was more approachable, even when he trashed a movie I had fallen in love with, like The Thing or Big Trouble in Little China. What surprised me most, though, was how Singer humanized Gene Siskel for me, a figure I remember as being overly stuffy, arrogant, and pedantic. I haven't done so yet, but I think it's time I began scouring YouTube for old show clips to see if what I remember is at all accurate, as it may be time for a reevaluation. Siskel and Ebert rarely agreed and fought about everything, and I mean everything, but as Singer shows us, so much of that was based in their own natural (or in Siskel's case, almost hypernatural) competitiveness and deeply held opinions. These men said what they meant, wholly and completely, and they didn't give a damn who it offended. They were critics and, as such, each were only as good as their word.
Not only did Siskel & Ebert make me love movies more, they inspired me to become a reviewer. I dreamed of becoming a movie critic and following in their footsteps, but books were always my first love. I've worked as a paid reviewer in the past, even if I'm what would be considered an amateur or armchair critic now, but it's a pretty straight line to trace my critical reviewing style back to the two men who popularized and democratized the art of criticism. Siskel and Ebert brought televised film review to the masses for over 20 years, until Siskel's shocking death from terminal brain cancer in 1999 at the age of 53, beginning with PBS and working their way up to national syndication, which is how I discovered them as a viewer. They made film review look familiar, with their Abbot and Costello appearances, as if anybody could do it, up to and even including this then-schlubby kid (who is, admittedly, a now-schlubby adult).
Singer does a fantastic job taking us behind the scenes, to the beginnings of the platform these two would perfect in Opening Soon...At A Theater Near You for PBS, up through Siskel & Ebert, and the various name changes to the show following Siskel's death and Ebert's own recurrent battles with cancer until his passing in 2013. Opposable Thumbs is a rich tapestry of the professional lives of these two men working together, showcasing a relationship in which the partners were constantly at odds with one another but still managed to develop a begrudging respect for one another and, eventually, an honest and deeply felt love that never got in the way of their endless, and endlessly entertaining, disagreements. Drawing directly from Siskel and Ebert's reviews and writings it's impossible not to hear each man's unique voices springing off the page every time they are quoted by Singer. Singer has also interviewed an array of others involved in the shows' productions, including the men's widows, but it's these two critics and their larger-than-life personas, these two Chicago reporters who worked a very particular beat for rival newspapers while becoming TV celebrities, who leap off the page even so many years after their deaths. Some of that is no doubt due to their strong, clashing personalities, but some is no doubt due, too, to their celebrity status and the memes and show clips that keep their work and memories alive on social media with surprising regularity.
Siskel and Ebert may be gone, and the televised review format they innovated gone with them, but they live on in perpetuity long after their balcony has closed for good. I'd be lying if I said Singer's closing chapters covering Ebert's battles with cancer, which left him disfigured and robbed him of his ability to speak, didn't leave me sobbing and emotionally wrecked, forcing me to put the book down for a little bit so I could recollect myself enough to push on through the book's final entries. It's powerhouse stuff, forcing you to recognize your own mortality and examine the memories you'll leave behind.
I can't give Opposable Thumbs two thumbs way up, but only because Siskel and Ebert's trademark thumbs up or down review style is, well, literally trademarked. The best I can do is give this book my highest possible recommendation. It's cliche to say something like, "I laughed, I loved, I cried," but it's true I did each of those over the few days I got to spend with these men once again for the first time in a great long while. For that, I have to thank the author, so... Thank you, Mr. Singer.
Reading Matthew Singer's Opposable Thumbs, I found even more points of comparison with Ebert, not just as a movie lover but as a fat kid with few friends who spent much of their childhood lost in books. Swap a Chicago suburb for a Detroit suburb and that could have been me to a T. Maybe that's why I always felt that Ebert was more approachable, even when he trashed a movie I had fallen in love with, like The Thing or Big Trouble in Little China. What surprised me most, though, was how Singer humanized Gene Siskel for me, a figure I remember as being overly stuffy, arrogant, and pedantic. I haven't done so yet, but I think it's time I began scouring YouTube for old show clips to see if what I remember is at all accurate, as it may be time for a reevaluation. Siskel and Ebert rarely agreed and fought about everything, and I mean everything, but as Singer shows us, so much of that was based in their own natural (or in Siskel's case, almost hypernatural) competitiveness and deeply held opinions. These men said what they meant, wholly and completely, and they didn't give a damn who it offended. They were critics and, as such, each were only as good as their word.
Not only did Siskel & Ebert make me love movies more, they inspired me to become a reviewer. I dreamed of becoming a movie critic and following in their footsteps, but books were always my first love. I've worked as a paid reviewer in the past, even if I'm what would be considered an amateur or armchair critic now, but it's a pretty straight line to trace my critical reviewing style back to the two men who popularized and democratized the art of criticism. Siskel and Ebert brought televised film review to the masses for over 20 years, until Siskel's shocking death from terminal brain cancer in 1999 at the age of 53, beginning with PBS and working their way up to national syndication, which is how I discovered them as a viewer. They made film review look familiar, with their Abbot and Costello appearances, as if anybody could do it, up to and even including this then-schlubby kid (who is, admittedly, a now-schlubby adult).
Singer does a fantastic job taking us behind the scenes, to the beginnings of the platform these two would perfect in Opening Soon...At A Theater Near You for PBS, up through Siskel & Ebert, and the various name changes to the show following Siskel's death and Ebert's own recurrent battles with cancer until his passing in 2013. Opposable Thumbs is a rich tapestry of the professional lives of these two men working together, showcasing a relationship in which the partners were constantly at odds with one another but still managed to develop a begrudging respect for one another and, eventually, an honest and deeply felt love that never got in the way of their endless, and endlessly entertaining, disagreements. Drawing directly from Siskel and Ebert's reviews and writings it's impossible not to hear each man's unique voices springing off the page every time they are quoted by Singer. Singer has also interviewed an array of others involved in the shows' productions, including the men's widows, but it's these two critics and their larger-than-life personas, these two Chicago reporters who worked a very particular beat for rival newspapers while becoming TV celebrities, who leap off the page even so many years after their deaths. Some of that is no doubt due to their strong, clashing personalities, but some is no doubt due, too, to their celebrity status and the memes and show clips that keep their work and memories alive on social media with surprising regularity.
Siskel and Ebert may be gone, and the televised review format they innovated gone with them, but they live on in perpetuity long after their balcony has closed for good. I'd be lying if I said Singer's closing chapters covering Ebert's battles with cancer, which left him disfigured and robbed him of his ability to speak, didn't leave me sobbing and emotionally wrecked, forcing me to put the book down for a little bit so I could recollect myself enough to push on through the book's final entries. It's powerhouse stuff, forcing you to recognize your own mortality and examine the memories you'll leave behind.
I can't give Opposable Thumbs two thumbs way up, but only because Siskel and Ebert's trademark thumbs up or down review style is, well, literally trademarked. The best I can do is give this book my highest possible recommendation. It's cliche to say something like, "I laughed, I loved, I cried," but it's true I did each of those over the few days I got to spend with these men once again for the first time in a great long while. For that, I have to thank the author, so... Thank you, Mr. Singer.
April 10, 2023
As a 90's child, who grew up with a heavy dose of TV and fed the peak of movie trailer and film ads on tv, you cannot remember a time that you didn't hear "Siskel and Ebert give it two thumbs up". Now that I am in my 30's, well, I miss that time.
This was a great read, a quick read. But I wanted more. Maybe there isn't more, maybe what we have is what we have. I just wished there was more coverage on their funny disputes, agreements, run-ins with Hollywood. There has to be more. They had to have pissed people off or caused some movie studios to quake in their boots before Disney hooked their claws into them.
I guess as the author says we'll never really know since the archives are all with Disney and that what exists is on YouTube or on the few fansites.
Still, if you want to know more about this interesting pair that changed the way we interpreted film critics and saw films in the 80's and 90's, read this book.
This was a great read, a quick read. But I wanted more. Maybe there isn't more, maybe what we have is what we have. I just wished there was more coverage on their funny disputes, agreements, run-ins with Hollywood. There has to be more. They had to have pissed people off or caused some movie studios to quake in their boots before Disney hooked their claws into them.
I guess as the author says we'll never really know since the archives are all with Disney and that what exists is on YouTube or on the few fansites.
Still, if you want to know more about this interesting pair that changed the way we interpreted film critics and saw films in the 80's and 90's, read this book.
October 4, 2024
Road trip audiobook!
I loved watching Siskel and Ebert talk about movies on their various TV shows over the years and appreciate this chance to indulge in some nostalgia.
Singer gives a pretty complete history of their bickering partnership and a behind-the-scenes look at their business maneuvers as they moved from PBS to syndication. Some of the chapters get a little dry at times, and Singer tends toward hagiography and hyperbole, he admires the duo so much, but his narration held my interest as I drove and helped the miles fly by.
I'm interested in reading Ebert's autobiography how and want to pick a few movies to watch from the appendix of obscure movies that Siskel and Ebert gave two enthusiastic thumbs up.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Introduction. Coming Attractions -- Chapter One. Ebert Before Siskel -- Chapter Two. Siskel Before Ebert -- Chapter Three. Opening Soon at a Theater Near You -- Chapter Four. The First-take Show -- Chapter Five. Rompin' Stompin' Film Criticism -- Chapter Six. Two Thumbs Up -- Chapter Seven. Across the Aisle -- Chapter Eight. Hooray for Hollywood -- Chapter Nine. Get to the Crosstalk -- Chapter Ten. The Future of the Movies -- Chapter Eleven. The Balcony Is Closed -- Chapter Twelve. Ebert & Roeper & Lyons & Mankiewicz & Phillips & Scott & Lemire & Vishnevetsky -- Epilogue. Until Next Time, We'll See You at the Movies -- Appendix: Buried Treasures That Siskel and Ebert Loved -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Photo Credits -- Index
I loved watching Siskel and Ebert talk about movies on their various TV shows over the years and appreciate this chance to indulge in some nostalgia.
Singer gives a pretty complete history of their bickering partnership and a behind-the-scenes look at their business maneuvers as they moved from PBS to syndication. Some of the chapters get a little dry at times, and Singer tends toward hagiography and hyperbole, he admires the duo so much, but his narration held my interest as I drove and helped the miles fly by.
I'm interested in reading Ebert's autobiography how and want to pick a few movies to watch from the appendix of obscure movies that Siskel and Ebert gave two enthusiastic thumbs up.
FOR REFERENCE:
Contents: Introduction. Coming Attractions -- Chapter One. Ebert Before Siskel -- Chapter Two. Siskel Before Ebert -- Chapter Three. Opening Soon at a Theater Near You -- Chapter Four. The First-take Show -- Chapter Five. Rompin' Stompin' Film Criticism -- Chapter Six. Two Thumbs Up -- Chapter Seven. Across the Aisle -- Chapter Eight. Hooray for Hollywood -- Chapter Nine. Get to the Crosstalk -- Chapter Ten. The Future of the Movies -- Chapter Eleven. The Balcony Is Closed -- Chapter Twelve. Ebert & Roeper & Lyons & Mankiewicz & Phillips & Scott & Lemire & Vishnevetsky -- Epilogue. Until Next Time, We'll See You at the Movies -- Appendix: Buried Treasures That Siskel and Ebert Loved -- Acknowledgments -- Notes -- Photo Credits -- Index
February 18, 2025
Read for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge 2025 #7 Read a book about a piece of media you love (a TV show, a movie, a band, etc.)
Interesting book about the show. LIFE, ITSELF, Ebert’s memoir was a far better book, but it was about Ebert’s whole life, not solely about the show.
Interesting book about the show. LIFE, ITSELF, Ebert’s memoir was a far better book, but it was about Ebert’s whole life, not solely about the show.
November 2, 2023
At one time, "Two Thumbs Up" meant the ultimate success for a movie, and success swayed on the opinions of Siskel and Ebert. The fact that they didn't really like each other at first just adds to the intrigue.
This book looks at the lives of both men, their up-and-down relationship, their television show, and the movies they reviewed. It is a must-read for anyone who watched them during that time.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
This book looks at the lives of both men, their up-and-down relationship, their television show, and the movies they reviewed. It is a must-read for anyone who watched them during that time.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
February 3, 2024
I enjoyed revisiting Siskel & Ebert's careers as movie critics who hosted several popular TV shows during the 1980s and 1990s. They're credited for starting the thumbs-up and thumbs-down rating system. Their snarky banter and professional rivalry kept the viewers' attention. So, I had a few laughs. I also liked reading about their home city of Chicago. I also added a few recommendations they made to my "must-watch" movies list. You might get a kick out of this book if you're a movie buff like I am. It moves fast and delivers the goods.
December 14, 2023
Probably more for the Siskel- and/or Ebert-heads than for someone with only a casual interest, as the network drama and conflicting stories of whose idea the show was aren’t all that thrilling or exceptional. As a snapshot in the evolution of film criticism though, very neat and heartfelt and essential! I think it would almost work better as a documentary in which you could see clips and hear them speaking, because having their fights and debates and yelling matches described to you isn’t quite the same, but Matt Singer is such a great film critic and really really knows what he’s talking about when he talks about these two. Hearing that Roger asked 24-year-old Ignatiy Vishnevetsky to join the show after overhearing him talking about movies at a Chicago press screening… that should have BEEN ME!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 28, 2023
Written mostly for a casual, broad audience. You're not really getting anything new or worthwhile out of this if you're already a longtime fan.
December 7, 2023
I want to first acknowledge this is a great read. Singer has done the research, talked to the people who were there (and the widows) and has put out a readable, sometimes laugh-out-loud, nostalgic look at something that was certainly part of MY growing up.
At an early age (way too early) I started checking out books from the library by Pauline Kael, Bosley Crowther - you name the critic, I read their work. Living in a small coastal Florida town, I didn't have many options to see art house or classic fare. But I educated myself and then...along came Gene and Roger. I started watching them on PBS and followed when they made the move to syndication (though to me, they were never as good as they were in those early years).
Because of them, I learned about films I might not have otherwise, and searched them out. When I went to college the art houses were more prominent and the dawn of the video age helped me see things I'd always wanted to. I owe so much to them both. Later, I became a film critic myself for a small indie weekly. Was I famous? Oh hell no. And it was hard work. Harder than I ever thought. Although it only lasted a few years, I'm glad I did it, and I look back on my writing with pride and wistfulness. They taught me to always say what you feel, not to like something just because others did. Critical thinking is important, and something many people today need to practice.
Were they perfect? Of course not. I found Roger a little too loosey-goosey and he often got details wrong in his books. I heard from a colleague in the early 90s that he had a reputation as a bit of a butt grabber with the ladies. Was it true? I don't know and I don't care.
I think the greatest takeaway from this book is the insight into Gene's life. Intensely private, he looked at movies in a fascinating way that aligns more with my views than Roger's. I loved the tidbit about how he watched a favorite film multiple times because he felt you could get something new from it every time. I agree. To think he left us at 53 - It's really hard to fathom.
And finally: There's an appendix in the back of the book with about 30 of their favorite, unsung movies they really went to bat for over the years. Many of my favorites are here, like The Mighty Quinn and of course.....Jean Jacques Beinex's Diva. I never would have known about it if it wasn't for them, and it's my favorite movie of all time and the reason my online handle is tangodiva. In case anyone was ever curious...
QUOTE: One day, the neighborhood news section editor asked Siskel what his ambitions were at the paper. "Your job," Siskel replied without hesitation.
When a stunned colleague asked why he would say something like that to his boss, Siskel replied, "Candor. It is powerful. It knocks people off their feet. They are not used to it. Try it someday. If you've got the guts."
At an early age (way too early) I started checking out books from the library by Pauline Kael, Bosley Crowther - you name the critic, I read their work. Living in a small coastal Florida town, I didn't have many options to see art house or classic fare. But I educated myself and then...along came Gene and Roger. I started watching them on PBS and followed when they made the move to syndication (though to me, they were never as good as they were in those early years).
Because of them, I learned about films I might not have otherwise, and searched them out. When I went to college the art houses were more prominent and the dawn of the video age helped me see things I'd always wanted to. I owe so much to them both. Later, I became a film critic myself for a small indie weekly. Was I famous? Oh hell no. And it was hard work. Harder than I ever thought. Although it only lasted a few years, I'm glad I did it, and I look back on my writing with pride and wistfulness. They taught me to always say what you feel, not to like something just because others did. Critical thinking is important, and something many people today need to practice.
Were they perfect? Of course not. I found Roger a little too loosey-goosey and he often got details wrong in his books. I heard from a colleague in the early 90s that he had a reputation as a bit of a butt grabber with the ladies. Was it true? I don't know and I don't care.
I think the greatest takeaway from this book is the insight into Gene's life. Intensely private, he looked at movies in a fascinating way that aligns more with my views than Roger's. I loved the tidbit about how he watched a favorite film multiple times because he felt you could get something new from it every time. I agree. To think he left us at 53 - It's really hard to fathom.
And finally: There's an appendix in the back of the book with about 30 of their favorite, unsung movies they really went to bat for over the years. Many of my favorites are here, like The Mighty Quinn and of course.....Jean Jacques Beinex's Diva. I never would have known about it if it wasn't for them, and it's my favorite movie of all time and the reason my online handle is tangodiva. In case anyone was ever curious...
QUOTE: One day, the neighborhood news section editor asked Siskel what his ambitions were at the paper. "Your job," Siskel replied without hesitation.
When a stunned colleague asked why he would say something like that to his boss, Siskel replied, "Candor. It is powerful. It knocks people off their feet. They are not used to it. Try it someday. If you've got the guts."
June 5, 2023
If I am being honest (and shouldn't you expect that from a review?), there was very little chance I would dislike this book. As someone who remembers vividly at least one version of Siskel & Ebert, it was a question of whether I would just "like" the book or "love" the book. Fear not, I loved it.
Matt Singer goes full biography on the various iterations of shows which Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert argued about the movies. It seems amazing now with the sheer number of people yelling at each other on television, but they are the originals. Their disagreements were legion and many people loved the fact they were watching a show with two people who hated each other. Of course, Singer explains that none of it was that simple.
Singer dives into the back and forth between the two critical juggernauts and hilarity ensures. Siskel was a master prankster and it is amazing Ebert never stabbed him. Ebert could dig into Siskel's insecurities with the best of the them. They argued constantly. They also knew they needed each other. The anecdotes in this book are top notch and will give you an even higher level of respect for the two men. At the same time, 90% of their actions would probably cause an HR complaint today.
If you have any affection for Siskel & Ebert, then this is a must read. If you have respect for people who were two of the best ever, then this is a must read. If you want to know why shows like Pardon the Interruption are terrible ripoffs of a much better product, then this is a must read. Basically, if you are human, you'll enjoy this book.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam.)
Matt Singer goes full biography on the various iterations of shows which Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert argued about the movies. It seems amazing now with the sheer number of people yelling at each other on television, but they are the originals. Their disagreements were legion and many people loved the fact they were watching a show with two people who hated each other. Of course, Singer explains that none of it was that simple.
Singer dives into the back and forth between the two critical juggernauts and hilarity ensures. Siskel was a master prankster and it is amazing Ebert never stabbed him. Ebert could dig into Siskel's insecurities with the best of the them. They argued constantly. They also knew they needed each other. The anecdotes in this book are top notch and will give you an even higher level of respect for the two men. At the same time, 90% of their actions would probably cause an HR complaint today.
If you have any affection for Siskel & Ebert, then this is a must read. If you have respect for people who were two of the best ever, then this is a must read. If you want to know why shows like Pardon the Interruption are terrible ripoffs of a much better product, then this is a must read. Basically, if you are human, you'll enjoy this book.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam.)
November 16, 2023
At one time in my life, Saturday night was spent in front of the TV watching Siskel & Ebert. I followed them through the different iterations and stations their program was on until there was no longer a show to follow. I watched Gene Siskel identify, while blind folded, the flavor of Chuckles (?) candy he was given. I was upset to learn Gene Siskel died in February, 1999 and I continued watching Roger Ebert through different partners and eventually the loss of his voice because of the cancer that eventually took his life.
This book is truly a tribute to two men, not always gentlemen to each other, who brought intelligence and insight to me so that I might make good decisions about which movies to see.
I miss them both and the world that no longer supports their endeavors.
This book is truly a tribute to two men, not always gentlemen to each other, who brought intelligence and insight to me so that I might make good decisions about which movies to see.
I miss them both and the world that no longer supports their endeavors.
January 5, 2024
A big part of my adoration of this book comes from growing up watching Siskel and Ebert, who were the reason I wanted to watch movies and discuss movies. Matt Singer, the author, shares that love for the subjects and it permeates the writing. I loved feeling nostalgic and tearing up thinking about these two lovable and giant movie critics who inspired so many people to care about movies. A joy to read.
July 21, 2023
Opposable Thumbs will be published October 24, 2023. The Penguin Group provided an early galley for review.
As a teen in the late 70's ad early 80's, watching Sneak Previews which changed to At The Movies when it went into syndication was part of my weekend routine. I was entertained as the two critics rattled through several new movie reviews in a half-hour. I felt I could trust their opinions (even if I did not always agree with them) - they had started out on PBS after all (which was the pinnacle of informative programming, in my mind).
After an introduction, Singer gives us a chapter on each man that gives the histories before the two came together. Not having read previously either man's biography, these two chapters were greatly appreciated to level set the players. From there, we continue with an in-depth evolution of their review show together with plenty of examples why this was pure lightning in a bottle.
For readers looking for behind-the-scenes stories and details, Singer has got you covered. From the initial lackluster pilot to the second start to set design, he provides it all. I was especially fascinated about how they went about getting the exact film clips needed for the points Gene and Roger wanted to make on the show. I also enjoyed the summary of their appearances on talk shows and Saturday Night Live as they go more well-known for their dynamic and presentation.
For readers of a certain age this book will resonate soundly.
As a teen in the late 70's ad early 80's, watching Sneak Previews which changed to At The Movies when it went into syndication was part of my weekend routine. I was entertained as the two critics rattled through several new movie reviews in a half-hour. I felt I could trust their opinions (even if I did not always agree with them) - they had started out on PBS after all (which was the pinnacle of informative programming, in my mind).
After an introduction, Singer gives us a chapter on each man that gives the histories before the two came together. Not having read previously either man's biography, these two chapters were greatly appreciated to level set the players. From there, we continue with an in-depth evolution of their review show together with plenty of examples why this was pure lightning in a bottle.
For readers looking for behind-the-scenes stories and details, Singer has got you covered. From the initial lackluster pilot to the second start to set design, he provides it all. I was especially fascinated about how they went about getting the exact film clips needed for the points Gene and Roger wanted to make on the show. I also enjoyed the summary of their appearances on talk shows and Saturday Night Live as they go more well-known for their dynamic and presentation.
For readers of a certain age this book will resonate soundly.
December 7, 2023
I watched virtually every Siskel and Ebert program from the beginning, have re-watched almost all of them since on YouTube, seen nearly all their outside appearances, heard them on radio, and read nearly everything written about them, and yet this author still found new things to reveal about them and their show. Hats off to Matt Singer!
One error, though. He states that the only time one of them changed their minds was the time Ebert got Siskel to reverse on the movie Broken Arrow. But that's not true. Ebert also changed his mind once, on The World According to Garp. I was so astonished when that happened that I have always remembered it.
The only possible complaint one could have about this book is that there isn't more, more, more. What all that might be I'm not sure exactly, but I would have liked to have seen at least one of their famous crosstalks (debates) in full, just so that readers who haven't seen the show could read an example of what it was like.
One error, though. He states that the only time one of them changed their minds was the time Ebert got Siskel to reverse on the movie Broken Arrow. But that's not true. Ebert also changed his mind once, on The World According to Garp. I was so astonished when that happened that I have always remembered it.
The only possible complaint one could have about this book is that there isn't more, more, more. What all that might be I'm not sure exactly, but I would have liked to have seen at least one of their famous crosstalks (debates) in full, just so that readers who haven't seen the show could read an example of what it was like.
November 7, 2023
I absolutely adored watching "Siskel & Ebert" when I was a kid/teenager (the theme music is forever stuck in my head). I loved their little squabbles, but I also loved their undeniable chemistry. I definitely remember when Siskel made fun of Ebert for liking "Cop and a Half". It was probably one of their most popular "fights". I must admit, Roger Ebert was my favorite of the two. I felt like he had the same taste in films as I do, don't get me wrong, I loved Gene as well, but I felt more similar to Roger's opinions on certain films.
This is a well written and well researched non-fiction book. Matt Singer does a fantastic job outlining the complete history of "Siskel & Ebert" from its first conception at PBS, and then Tribune Entertainment, and finally syndication at Buena Vista (owned by Disney). I didn't realize how young Siskel was when he passed away from terminal brain cancer (only 53 years old). Ebert died at 70 from thyroid cancer in 2013. I remember how cruel people were after his multiple surgeries left him disfigured and robbed him of his speaking voice/ability to eat.
These two men were incredible film critics. Their rivalry was legendary. Competitive to the bone. I always respected their candor and sense of humor. This book if definitely for hard-core fans. It was such a great trip down memory lane. I feel the nostalgia for sure. Two thumbs WAY up for this amazing read. Until next time, the balcony is closed.
This is a well written and well researched non-fiction book. Matt Singer does a fantastic job outlining the complete history of "Siskel & Ebert" from its first conception at PBS, and then Tribune Entertainment, and finally syndication at Buena Vista (owned by Disney). I didn't realize how young Siskel was when he passed away from terminal brain cancer (only 53 years old). Ebert died at 70 from thyroid cancer in 2013. I remember how cruel people were after his multiple surgeries left him disfigured and robbed him of his speaking voice/ability to eat.
These two men were incredible film critics. Their rivalry was legendary. Competitive to the bone. I always respected their candor and sense of humor. This book if definitely for hard-core fans. It was such a great trip down memory lane. I feel the nostalgia for sure. Two thumbs WAY up for this amazing read. Until next time, the balcony is closed.
February 8, 2024
I love movies and I'm a big fan of film criticism, I listen weekly to several film podcasts that owe a lot to Siskel & Ebert. In fact, I read this book in no smart part to the fact that it's author has fisted and guested on several of my favourite podcasts.
And the book is great! The history of the two is interesting, including their respective careers before pairing up, how their show started, and what made it work that made them famous. There are also lots of examples of how competitive and petty they were with eachother over the years that are hilarious.
Glad I read this, now I'll have to go look up some old clips of their arguments.
And the book is great! The history of the two is interesting, including their respective careers before pairing up, how their show started, and what made it work that made them famous. There are also lots of examples of how competitive and petty they were with eachother over the years that are hilarious.
Glad I read this, now I'll have to go look up some old clips of their arguments.
November 14, 2024
I loved watching Siskel & Ebert when I was growing up in the Chicago suburbs, along with reading their movie reviews. I related more to Ebert’s opinions than Siskel but the beauty of the show was watching them debate. This was an enjoyable history of both men, their show, and their impact on movie criticism. An impact that continues to this day. However, I was taken aback by what a fatphobic snob Siskel was; Ebert didn’t seem to mind the fatshaming that occurred at his expense. Still, yikes.
Also yikes: according to an appendix of their Hidden Gems, they both loved Simon Birch, which I typically refer to as “The Movie That Shall Not Be Named.” It’s an atrocious adaptation of A Prayer for Owen Meany. This is proof that even esteemed movie critics can still have the occasional terrible opinion.
*I did not take content notes for this book but this shares a lot of details about Siskel and Ebert’s respective cancer diagnoses (brain, thyroid, salivary gland) and deaths.
Also yikes: according to an appendix of their Hidden Gems, they both loved Simon Birch, which I typically refer to as “The Movie That Shall Not Be Named.” It’s an atrocious adaptation of A Prayer for Owen Meany. This is proof that even esteemed movie critics can still have the occasional terrible opinion.
*I did not take content notes for this book but this shares a lot of details about Siskel and Ebert’s respective cancer diagnoses (brain, thyroid, salivary gland) and deaths.
January 16, 2025
Certified fresh!
March 12, 2023
It's difficult to imagine a single contemporary film journalist who hasn't been influenced, directly or indirectly, by Siskel & Ebert. As a Midwesterner (Indianapolis), a film journalist, and a passionate movie fan, I remember growing up with Siskel & Ebert starting as a 10-year-old wannabe creative with a disability all the way through until Siskel's death due to terminal brain cancer in 1999 and Ebert's own cancer death in 2013.
With "Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever," award-winning editor and film critic Matt Singer captures the excellence and the eccentricities of these two men and how they helped to change the film industry and film journalism in a myriad of ways. Singer's writing here is immersive, vividly capturing the conflicts we came to know and love between these two critics and yet also the partnership that endured against seemingly impossible odds.
Roger Ebert had just become the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for his work at the Chicago Sun-Times when he gathered for lunch with his competition - Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel. Presented with the idea of collaborating on a new movie review show for PBS, the two reluctantly began what would become a years-long partnership as well known for its adversarial nature as the respectful friendship that both men would eventually come to acknowledge. Singer, with an uncommon intimacy and laid back straightforwardness similar to the review styles of both Siskel and Ebert, presents these years with tremendous precision and detail along with a surprising amount of humor, heart, and transparency.
Singer takes us through those PBS years and deeper into the career that allowed Siskel & Ebert to become a culturally iconic team. They also transitioned from film critics making a few hundred dollars per show to claiming multimillion dollar contracts and millions of weekly viewers who would gather to watch them fight it out in a way that felt true because it was true.
It was also incredibly endearing and made us fall in love with these two because they felt like one of us.
Singer also captures the somewhat surprising death of Siskel in 1999, a death that surprised nearly everyone but his immediate family including Ebert himself. There's an emotional resonance in these chapters that brought tears to my eyes again and again. Interestingly, in the chapters when Singer begins dealing with Ebert's more extended and far more transparent health decline we see yet again how the differences between these two men lived out in a myriad of ways.
There were times in "Opposable Thumbs" when I can't deny feeling like just perhaps a little tighter editing was needed, though much as is often true in film I couldn't really think of a single section I didn't completely adore.
As a film journalist now myself, a career highlight came when I appeared on a panel with Chaz Ebert and became one degree of separation from one of the film journalists to have the greatest influence on who I am and how I write. To this day, I can't enter a movie theater without thinking "I wonder what Ebert would think." Heck, to this day I can't pass a Steak n' Shake without thinking about Roger Ebert.
An absolute must-read for Siskel & Ebert fans, moviegoers, journalists, and anyone who wonders about the ability of one person, or two, to change the world in which they live, "Opposable Thumbs" is a relentlessly engaging, always compelling, and rich immersion into the unforgettable world of Siskel & Ebert and the cinematic world that they changed forever.
With "Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever," award-winning editor and film critic Matt Singer captures the excellence and the eccentricities of these two men and how they helped to change the film industry and film journalism in a myriad of ways. Singer's writing here is immersive, vividly capturing the conflicts we came to know and love between these two critics and yet also the partnership that endured against seemingly impossible odds.
Roger Ebert had just become the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for his work at the Chicago Sun-Times when he gathered for lunch with his competition - Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel. Presented with the idea of collaborating on a new movie review show for PBS, the two reluctantly began what would become a years-long partnership as well known for its adversarial nature as the respectful friendship that both men would eventually come to acknowledge. Singer, with an uncommon intimacy and laid back straightforwardness similar to the review styles of both Siskel and Ebert, presents these years with tremendous precision and detail along with a surprising amount of humor, heart, and transparency.
Singer takes us through those PBS years and deeper into the career that allowed Siskel & Ebert to become a culturally iconic team. They also transitioned from film critics making a few hundred dollars per show to claiming multimillion dollar contracts and millions of weekly viewers who would gather to watch them fight it out in a way that felt true because it was true.
It was also incredibly endearing and made us fall in love with these two because they felt like one of us.
Singer also captures the somewhat surprising death of Siskel in 1999, a death that surprised nearly everyone but his immediate family including Ebert himself. There's an emotional resonance in these chapters that brought tears to my eyes again and again. Interestingly, in the chapters when Singer begins dealing with Ebert's more extended and far more transparent health decline we see yet again how the differences between these two men lived out in a myriad of ways.
There were times in "Opposable Thumbs" when I can't deny feeling like just perhaps a little tighter editing was needed, though much as is often true in film I couldn't really think of a single section I didn't completely adore.
As a film journalist now myself, a career highlight came when I appeared on a panel with Chaz Ebert and became one degree of separation from one of the film journalists to have the greatest influence on who I am and how I write. To this day, I can't enter a movie theater without thinking "I wonder what Ebert would think." Heck, to this day I can't pass a Steak n' Shake without thinking about Roger Ebert.
An absolute must-read for Siskel & Ebert fans, moviegoers, journalists, and anyone who wonders about the ability of one person, or two, to change the world in which they live, "Opposable Thumbs" is a relentlessly engaging, always compelling, and rich immersion into the unforgettable world of Siskel & Ebert and the cinematic world that they changed forever.
October 20, 2023
From 1975 to early 1999 - the period in which Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert did their wildly successful thumbs up or down thing on TV, our family of four was up and running, with our younger (and final) kid entering her seventh year. We went to the movies with some frequency - back then, a box of popcorn didn't cost as much as a new car - but we also spent many hours with our noses glued to the TV set in the living room (one of those big old cathode-ray sets, of course). We loved watching the sometimes volatile dynamics between the two movie critics,which often helped us decide whether or not to spend our hard-earned money at at the theater. So I looked forward to the enlightenment this book promised to bring.
And the author delivered; the writing was interesting even during parts that easily could have turned boring, and I learned much more about the complicated relationship between the two rival newspaper columnists as well as the evolution of their popular TV show from a behind-the-scenes perspective. Other chapters serve as biographies of their early and pre-TV lives.
Not surprisingly, much is made of the never-ending tension between the two, both personally and professionally; but in the end, it was what propelled the somewhat unwilling team to the stardom they enjoyed for 23 years until Siskel's death in early 1999. Ebert continued for a time until he, too, passed away. So what would they be doing if both were still alive today? "Whatever projects they did separately, Gene and Roger would have remained Siskel and Ebert as long as they lived: two individuals who were better at arguing about movies together than anyone else in history," the author posits.
At the end of the book is a list of 25 films - amid hundreds of films they reviewed over their years together - that earned a thumbs-up from both critics (that in and of itself may be worth the price of admission). All in all, this is an informative, enjoyable book and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. A thumbs-up from me!
And the author delivered; the writing was interesting even during parts that easily could have turned boring, and I learned much more about the complicated relationship between the two rival newspaper columnists as well as the evolution of their popular TV show from a behind-the-scenes perspective. Other chapters serve as biographies of their early and pre-TV lives.
Not surprisingly, much is made of the never-ending tension between the two, both personally and professionally; but in the end, it was what propelled the somewhat unwilling team to the stardom they enjoyed for 23 years until Siskel's death in early 1999. Ebert continued for a time until he, too, passed away. So what would they be doing if both were still alive today? "Whatever projects they did separately, Gene and Roger would have remained Siskel and Ebert as long as they lived: two individuals who were better at arguing about movies together than anyone else in history," the author posits.
At the end of the book is a list of 25 films - amid hundreds of films they reviewed over their years together - that earned a thumbs-up from both critics (that in and of itself may be worth the price of admission). All in all, this is an informative, enjoyable book and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. A thumbs-up from me!
January 3, 2024
Matt Singer looks at the legacy of TV film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert in his enjoyable book, Opposable Thumbs. Singer looks at the critics before they collaborated on the show and showed how they progressed from each different version over the years and looked at the cultural impact they had on society. He seems to focus more on the entertianment aspect of their back and forth bickering over the actual output of criticism. From there we see the decline that happened when Siskel became ill and finally died then followed Ebert through his health problems and eventual death. I like the fact that Singer included an Epilogue where he chose 25 little known films that both critics championed over the years. And I guess I could have gotten more of that type of insight from the book. As a preteen I first discovered Siskel and Ebert and I feel that they were responsible for making me a cinemaphile by exposing me to little known independent films, foreign films, and documentaries. Singer mentions a few instances where Siskel and Ebert championed certain films such as Errol Morris' Gates of Heaven and Steven James' Hoop Dreams. I can't really say what it is, but I feel like something is missing from Singer's book. But, that being said, I enjoyed the look back at the seminal formative cinema influence of my childhood.
May 14, 2023
This is very informative, and the backstory of how Siskel met Ebert was quite interesting. I must confess, I am not a film buff or a television or journalism buff. I read it because of the impact the two of them had on popular culture as much as anything else, and in that regard, I found it fascinating.
I did feel like a lot of it was overly detailed for me personally - while I enjoyed it, there is a lot of detail here and some of it did start to feel repetitive in the explanations of how the men came together and continued to butt heads over time. Still, the writing style is easy, and their impact on the way we perceive and criticize movies can not be overstated, so I found it quite interesting on the whole.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
I did feel like a lot of it was overly detailed for me personally - while I enjoyed it, there is a lot of detail here and some of it did start to feel repetitive in the explanations of how the men came together and continued to butt heads over time. Still, the writing style is easy, and their impact on the way we perceive and criticize movies can not be overstated, so I found it quite interesting on the whole.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
January 28, 2024
I picked this up from the library out of a sense of nostalgia- I loved watching Siskel and Ebert as kid and am convinced that they helped me to view things more critically. Unfortunately, this book doesn’t get much beyond nostalgia. It’s not written that well, is highly repetitive, and focuses a TON on their famous disagreements. It’s as if you are watching a highlight reel of their greatest disagreements- it becomes a bit boring. I guess I would have liked a deeper book or just a long magazine article. Thumbs down.
May 4, 2025
Ended up flying through this in two sittings. It’s a very charming and informative read all about the rivalry turned friendship of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.
There was a lot of great info in here that I had virtually no clue about before-hand, like how their first show was an awkward mess, Siskel was a huge gambler, they had to be convinced to work together, Roger wanted to be an English professor before joining The Chicago Sun Time, etc.
It’s a great resource and I would recommend it as a starting point for anyone interested in Siskel and Ebert.
There was a lot of great info in here that I had virtually no clue about before-hand, like how their first show was an awkward mess, Siskel was a huge gambler, they had to be convinced to work together, Roger wanted to be an English professor before joining The Chicago Sun Time, etc.
It’s a great resource and I would recommend it as a starting point for anyone interested in Siskel and Ebert.
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