It was reviewing music and movies that got me started in journalism. I wrote reviews for the Green Bay Press Gazette when I was in middle school. At the time, my love of music and film was exploding to all new levels. Roger Ebert, of course, was well established. I watched his review shows with the late Gene Siskel, Richard Reoper and, most recently, his show on PBS. I read his reviews religiously. Today, with his death, the world not only loses a fantastic critic, whose style was both substantial in content, yet accessible for any reader, but also an icon in the film critic world. The word hero gets thrown around too much in today’s world. Roger Ebert was truly one of my heroes. I never had the chance to meet him, but he played a huge role in my desire to enter the world of journalism. The way he wrote, the way he carried himself on TV, it inspired me. When I began reviews, there was no question who I was looking to become. I wanted my reviews to be like his. Not that I was trying to copy his voice. But I wanted to become as respected as he was, to have my work read and watched by millions of people across the country. The great thing about reading and watching Ebert’s reviews was that he was never arrogant. He was never one of those critics who tried to act like he knew more than the rest of us. Or that he had the right to be snobbish because he was a “critic”.
Ebert’s reviews did more than help me decide what films to see and what ones to pass up. He increased my love of film substantially. I started noticing things I never had before. No longer was I just watching a film and taking in only what was at the surface, I started seeing deeper meanings and how powerful of a medium film could be to convey messages about society. As a critic, I always appreciated his ability to like films for what they were. He gave good reviews to the big, dumb, enjoyable action flick and the artsy indie film alike. He understood what a film was trying to do and appreciated when they succeeded. When he raved about a film…frankly…it became a film I had to check out. But as a film teacher, his reviews were invaluable. He’s the one critic I’ve followed through the years and because of that, I’ve been able to appreciate a lot of films that I wouldn’t have otherwise.
He also showed tremendous courage and bravery. In recent years, when he wasn’t writing reviews it was because he was battling cancer. Seeing recent photos of him can be difficult to look at. It was tragic that someone so famous for his TV review show could no longer use his voice. And yet, he marched on. Not once did I ever hear him say woe is me. Not once. What he did do was remain upbeat and came back strong with a new show and more reviews. No one would blame him if he had called it quits then. His health was bad and we’d all understand if he put his priorities elsewhere. But he kept going and gifted the world a few more of his reviews, right up to the final days of his life.
There will never be another Roger Ebert. In the film critic world, I can’t name a critic that even comes close to the respect and the notoriety that he received. For the talent he had in writing reviews, for the bravery he showed battling cancer and for the way he held himself up, Ebert was, and will always be, one of my journalistic heroes. And for that, I say thank you.
Lukas Eggen can be reached at eggen.lukas@gmail.com.
Lukas Eggen 