21 movie review ebert

Cast & crew
User reviews

Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Jim Sturgess, and Aaron Yoo in 21 (2008)

Inspired by real events and people, 21 is about six MIT students who become trained to be experts in card counting in Black Jack and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings. Inspired by real events and people, 21 is about six MIT students who become trained to be experts in card counting in Black Jack and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings. Inspired by real events and people, 21 is about six MIT students who become trained to be experts in card counting in Black Jack and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings.

Robert Luketic
Peter Steinfeld
Ben Mezrich
Jim Sturgess
Kate Bosworth
Kevin Spacey
348 User reviews
135 Critic reviews
48 Metascore
1 win & 5 nominations

Cole Williams

Ellen Campbell

Bob Phillips
Planet Hollywood Dealer
Planet Hollywood Dealer Jeff
(as Jeffrey Ma)

Planet Hollywood Floor Manager
(as Frank Patton)
Red Rock Dealer
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

Trivia Although set in the then-present day, i.e. 2007/8, the film is based on teams active between 1979 and 1994. And at one point, more than 80 players were on the original MIT team.
Goofs Why didn't Ben keep his winnings in a safe deposit box? He can add more whenever he wants and it would be safe from everybody, particularly Micky.

[Cole Williams confronts Micky for the first time again]

Ben Campbell : [narrating, when we see Micky tied up in the basement of the casino] I had a 1590 on my SAT. I got a 44 on my MCATs. And I have a 4.0 GPA from MIT. I thought I had my life mapped out. But then I remembered what my Nonlinear Equations professor once told me, always account for variable change.

Cole Williams : [Cole Williams walks out of the shadows] Hello, Micky.

Micky Rosa : Look, I got money in Boston. A hundred grand. I'll give it to you. If you just let me walk away. I'll walk away.

Cole Williams : I don't want your money, Micky. I don't need it. But I know someone who might be interested. He's good with numbers, too. He works for the IRS.

Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Horton Hears a Who!/Never Back Down/10,000 B.C./Funny Games/Paranoid Park/Conspiracy (2008)
Soundtracks Time to Pretend Written by Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser Performed by MGMT Courtesy of Columbia Records By Arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User reviews 348

Mar 13, 2008
How long is 21? Powered by Alexa
Is '21' based on a book?
How accurate is the movie?
Okay, this is based on a true story. So when did the real story take place?
March 28, 2008 (United States)
United States
Official Facebook
Sony Pictures (United States)
21 - The Movie
Caesars Palace - 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Columbia Pictures
Relativity Media
Trigger Street Productions
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$35,000,000 (estimated)
$81,159,365
$24,105,943
Mar 30, 2008
$159,808,370

Technical specs

Runtime 2 hours 3 minutes
Dolby Digital

More to explore

Or browse by category:

Get the app
Movie Reviews
Best Movie Lists
Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

Best TV Lists
Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
Common Sense Selections for TV
Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

Book Reviews
Best Book Lists
Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

Game Reviews
Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

Podcast Reviews
Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

App Reviews
Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

YouTube Channel Reviews
YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

Explaining the News to Our Kids

Family Tech Planners
Digital Skills
All Articles
Latino Culture
Black Voices
Asian Stories
Native Narratives
LGBTQ+ Pride
Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

Common sense media reviewers.

Breezy Vegas con film fun, with some iffy stuff.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The students involved in the scheme are aware that

A security officer takes delight in beating up any

Strippers do their thing at a club (lots of cleava

Some salty language, including "goddamn," "bulls--

Practically feels like a commercial for Las Vegas,

Lots of drinking in Boston pubs and at the Vegas c

Positive Messages

The students involved in the scheme are aware that what they're doing isn't necessarily playing by the rules, and they seem quite attracted to the rush. They also happily indulge in the spoils, drinking to excess, hooking up with strangers, and throwing money around (one seems to have a shoplifting habit, and fake IDs are used to subvert the authorities and protect the students' true identities). Still, it's clear that, for them, it's not necessarily about total greed (except perhaps for their mentor, Professor Rosa). Also, for Ben, this enterprise is a means to a seemingly noble end: paying for medical school without having to rely on anyone for help. Plus, he comes to an understanding that his game isn't without its cost.

Violence & Scariness

A security officer takes delight in beating up anyone caught counting cards; he even wears special rings on his fingers to make the experience more painful (the bloody aftermath is shown on camera). He also flashes a gun, and another gun is fired in a casino. Some loud arguments between friends.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Strippers do their thing at a club (lots of cleavage shots); Jill propositions Ben, and they make love in front of a window (they're shown from the top half, kissing passionately, naked); mild jokes about masturbation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Some salty language, including "goddamn," "bulls--t," and the like.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Practically feels like a commercial for Las Vegas, with scene upon scene of casinos, gamblers, and the strip. Signage is everywhere, from the Hard Rock Cafe to Planet Hollywood to The Mirage. A book that teaches the students how to count cards is clearly shown. Shopping sprees take place in stores that are clearly marked out front or by shopping bags, including Louis Vuitton and Gucci. Also many mentions of Google, Sizzler, MIT, Harvard Medical School, etc.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Lots of drinking in Boston pubs and at the Vegas casinos and strip bars. Tons of smoking in those locales as well.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that 21 is a breezy, fact-based drama about college students who use their math skills to count cards in Las Vegas; it may appeal to teens thanks to stars like Jim Sturgess (of Across the Universe ) and Kate Bosworth . That said, the subject matter is pretty serious, and there are some fairly violent scenes -- a security officer punches counters with a closed, ring-bedecked fist -- as well as lots of smoking, drinking, swearing, and, of course, gambling. The students also meet up post-gambling at a strip club, and there are plenty of cleavage shots and some passionate clinches. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (8)
Kids say (12)

Based on 8 parent reviews

Too much sex

What's the story.

MIT senior Ben Campbell ( Jim Sturgess ) has worked hard all his life to achieve one goal: attend Harvard Medical School. Getting in isn't the problem -- he's already been accepted -- but paying for it is. His only chance is a full-ride scholarship, but nothing distinguishes him from most of the applicants. He's smart and hardworking, but he has no life experience, having sacrificed his social life for school. No wonder the lure of Vegas becomes too much for him to resist -- what's not to like about the chance to make tons of money, live a different life, and land a pretty classmate, Jill ( Kate Bosworth )? Jill is part of a blackjack "team" led by professor Micky Rosa ( Kevin Spacey ), a math whiz who trains his students in the fine art of card-counting and flies them to Sin City for money-making weekends. Technically, it's not a crime -- but Vegas doesn't celebrate winners, particularly if they're geniuses who find a way to take the house for all it's worth. Soon Ben discovers he's involved in a dizzying game where the stakes -- Harvard, graduation, his future -- are much too high.

Is It Any Good?

Slick, stylish, and mostly seductive, 21 -- based on Ben Mezrich's nonfiction book Bringing Down the House about MIT student Jeff Ma -- is a treat despite some clunky dialogue and clichéd setups. Just one example: On his 21st birthday, Ben's mother beseeches him to have fun; "You only turn 21 once," she says. Cut to the fork in the road that promises excitement. Later, Jill, in an effort to persuade Ben to join the team, tells him, "You were born for this." And so on.

But true talent masks many ills -- and Sturgess has plenty. Cool and vulnerable in Across the Universe and aptly English in The Other Boleyn Girl , he's credibly earnest and awkward here, but not so much that his Vegas transformations are unbelievable. Spacey, who co-produced the film, gives viewers more of his sneering, snide shtick, but it's effective here. His mentees are a likable bunch -- young, too-clever, and eager to please. And Vegas? The cheese is (mostly gone). Rarely has it looked this fun.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Ben's decision to gamble as a means to an end. Was he right? Is it ever OK to bend the rules to accomplish something?

Since it's not technically illegal to count cards, why is it so frowned upon? Do you think it's cheating or just a clever use of math skills? Is it easier to justify something like card counting if you're taking money away from a casino instead of a person?

Does the movie glamorize Las Vegas and gambling? What do you think casinos are like in real life?

Movie Details

In theaters : March 27, 2008
On DVD or streaming : July 21, 2008
Cast : Jim Sturgess , Kate Bosworth , Kevin Spacey
Director : Robert Luketic
Inclusion Information : Female actors, Gay actors
Studio : Columbia Tristar
Genre : Drama
Topics : STEM
Run time : 123 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : some violence, and sexual content including partial nudity.
Last updated : December 23, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

Ocean's Eleven

Want personalized picks for your kids' age and interests?

The Hangover

Biopic movies, great sports movies, related topics.

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews

Original movie reviews untainted by time!

The Best and Worst of 2008

https://siskelebert.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Best-of-2008.m4v Ben Lyons 10 In Bruges 09 Miracle At St. Anna 08 The Reader 07 Let The Right One In

Street Kings, Chaos Theory, Smart People, My Blueberry Nights, Young @ Heart – 2008

https://siskelebert.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2008-Street-Kings_x264.mp4 New On Video – Juno, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead Three To See – 21, Stop-Loss, Young @

21, Chapter 27, Flawless, Stop-Loss, Run Fatboy Run – 2008

Richard Roeper and Michael Phillips 21, Chapter 27, Flawless, Stop-Loss, Run Fatboy Run New On Video – Alvin and the

THE MOVIE CULTURE

21 Movie Review And Film Summary(2008)

21 is a 2008 American heist drama film directed by Robert Luketic and starring Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Aaron Yoo, and Kieu Chinh.

The film is inspired by the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team as told in Bringing Down the House, the best-selling book by Ben Mezrich.

Despite its largely mixed reviews and controversy over the film’s casting choices, 21 was a box office success, and was the number one film in the United States and Canada during its first and second weekends of release.

21 Film Cast

Jim Sturgess as Ben Campbell.
Kate Bosworth as Jill.
Kevin Spacey as Micky Rosa.
Aaron Yoo as Choi.
Liza Lapira as Kianna.
Jacob Pitts as Fisher.
Laurence Fishburne as Cole Williams.
Jack McGee as Terry.
Josh Gad as Miles.
Sam Golzari as Cam.
Helen Carey as Ellen Campbell.
Jack Gilpin as Bob Phillips.

21 Movie Plot

Ben, a mathematics major at MIT, is accepted into Harvard Medical School but cannot afford the $300,000 tuition. He applies for the prestigious Robinson Scholarship which would cover the entire cost.

However, despite having an MCAT score of 44 and high grades, he faces fierce competition, and is told by the director that the scholarship will only go to whichever student dazzles him.

Back at MIT, a professor, Micky Rosa challenges Ben with the Monty Hall Problem which he solves successfully. After looking at Ben’s 97% score on his latest non-linear equations test, Micky invites Ben to join his blackjack team, which consists of fellow students Choi, Fisher, Jill, and Kianna. Using card counting and covert signaling, they are able to increase their probability of winning while at casinos, leading them to earn substantial profits. Over many weekends, the team is flown to Las Vegas and Ben comes to enjoy his luxurious lifestyle as a so-called big player.

The team is impressed by Ben’s skill, but Fisher becomes jealous and fights him while drunk, leading Micky to expel him. Meanwhile, the head of security, Cole Williams, has been monitoring the team and begins to turn his attention to Ben.

21 Film Review

This film is very interesting even though the ending was predictable, it doesn’t exactly goes according to the actual real story but the film is loved by alot of people.

The plot is interesting, Micky, a math professor, recruits five brilliant students and uses their skills to win millions of dollars at blackjack in Las Vegas.

The filming of 21 began in March 2007. Principal filming of the Las Vegas scenes took place at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, the Red Rock Casino, and the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas.

Filming also took place at Harvard Medical School, Chinatown, in Cambridge, and the Christian Science Center in Boston, Massachusetts. As Massachusetts Institute of Technology did not allow filming on campus, the MIT school and dorm interiors, the gymnasium, and the alumni reception were all shot at Boston University.

21: Casinos In The Film

In pre-production, the producers and the book’s original writers predicted that the Vegas casinos would be unhelpful, as a film that told viewers the basics of card counting might hurt their bottom line.

A featurette included with the DVD completely and accurately describes the “Hi-Lo” system used by the MIT Blackjack Club and by Rosa’s team in the film.

In fact, the writers were surprised when told by the producers that MGM Studios would finance the film, though all “MGM” casinos (including one used by the real MIT Blackjack Team) are owned by MGM Resorts International and are no longer related to MGM Studios.

In reality, as another DVD featurette reveals, the casinos (including MGM Resorts) saw the film as an attention-getter; people who saw it would be encouraged to go to Vegas and play: some just for fun and some attempting to count cards but failing to learn or memorize the entire strategy or making too many mistakes. T

he film withheld critical strategy details (such as the conversion from the “running count” to a “true count”), and most beginning card counters underestimate the number and value of the mistakes they make.

21 Film Soundtrack Listing

The soundtrack was released at the same time as the film.

1. The Rolling Stones—“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” (Remixed by Soulwax) (6:07). 2. MGMT—“Time to Pretend” (Super Clean Version) (4:20).
3.LCD Soundsystem—“Big Ideas” (5:41). 3. D. Sardy featuring Liela Moss—“Giant” (3:42). 4. Amon Tobin—“Always” (3:38).
5. Peter Bjorn and John—“Young Folks” (4:37). 6. Shook One —“Soul Position” (4:16).
7. Get Shakes—“Sister Self Doubt” (4:22). 8. The Aliens—“I Am The Unknown” (5:27).
9. Rihanna—“Shut Up and Drive” (3:34). 10. Knivez Out—“Alright” (3:31).
11. Domino—“Tropical Moonlight” (3:28). 12. Unkle—“Hold My Hand” (4:58).
13. Mark Ronson featuring Kasabian—“L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever)” (3:32). 14. Broadcast—“Tender Buttons” (2:51).

Other tracks

Although it is not included in the soundtrack, Moby’s “Slippin’ Away” (Axwell Vocal Remix) plays in the scene when Ben is passing through airport security.

The song “Everybody Get Dangerous” by Weezer was also featured in the film, but not included on the soundtrack since it was not yet released. It would later be released on Weezer’s 2008 record, The Red Album. It is played on a distant radio when the team is in a poker club.

The song “I Want You to Want Me” by Cheap Trick and “Music is Happiness” by The Octopus Project were also featured in the film but not on the soundtrack album.

The song “Magnificent” by Estelle (feat. Kardinal Offishall) was also featured in the film but not on the soundtrack album. It’s played approximately 58 minutes in, after the Weezer song, in the scene where Ben buys Jill a beer. It’s subtle, and has a reggae beat.

In the promotional trailers, “Break on Through (To the Other Side)” by The Doors was used. During the restaurant scene where the team explains to Ben how they work, “Home” by Great Northern can be heard playing in the background.

The song “Again with the Subtitles” by Texas artist Yppah is another uncredited song in the film.

The track played as the team makes off at the end of the film is “Rito a Los Angeles” by Giuseppe De Luca, which features part of the main riff of “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”. This track is also used in Ocean’s Twelve, the first sequel to the caper film Ocean’s Eleven, about actually robbing casinos in Vegas. My Mathematical Mind by Spoon was featured in the trailers.

21 Film Critical Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 36% of 169 critics gave the film a positive review, for an average rating of 5.17/10. The site’s critical consensus reads: “21 could have been a fascinating study had it not supplanted the true story on which it is based with mundane melodrama.”

Metacritic gave the film an average score of 48 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”. Audiences polled by

CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “B+” on an A+ to F scale.

The Movie Culture Synopsis

A race-based controversy arose over the decision to make the majority of the characters white Americans, even though the main players in the book Bringing Down the House, upon which the film 21 is based, were mainly Asian-Americans.

The lead role was given to London-born Jim Sturgess, who required a dialect coach to speak with an American accent.

Jeff Ma, who was the real-life inspiration for the character Ben Campbell and served as a consultant on the film, was attacked as being a “race traitor” on several blogs for not insisting that his character be Asian-American. In response, Ma said, “I’m not sure they understand how little control I had in the movie-making process; I didn’t get to cast it.”

Ma said that the controversy was “overblown” and that the important aspect is that a talented actor would portray him. Ma, who is Chinese American, told USA Today, “I would have been a lot more insulted if they had chosen someone who was Japanese or Korean, just to have an Asian playing me.”

Overall, it’s a great film and TMC would give it a solid 8/10. This film is available to watch on Netflix .

You may have missed

TMC Exclusives
TMC Originals

Yuta Okkotsu’s Domain Expansion Explained: Authentic Mutual Love – Jujutsu Kaisen Manga

Top 101 Movies of All Time: As per IMDb ratings

Why we all love the Kung Fu Panda Franchise

Uncategorized

Leave the World Behind: Ending Explained

Critic Reviews
User Reviews
Cast & Crew

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

What's the Tomatometer®?
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening this week
Top box office
Coming soon to theaters
Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

Fandango at Home
Netflix streaming
Prime Video
Most popular streaming movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

Challengers Link to Challengers
I Saw the TV Glow Link to I Saw the TV Glow
Música Link to Música

New TV Tonight

Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1
The Jinx: Season 2
The Big Door Prize: Season 2
Them: Season 2
Knuckles: Season 1
Velma: Season 2
Secrets of the Octopus: Season 1
Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story: Season 1
We're Here: Season 4

Roger Ebert

Chicago, IL

http://rogerebert.com/

Movies reviews only

The best free cultural &

educational media on the web

Online Courses
Certificates
Degrees & Mini-Degrees
Audio Books

Roger Ebert’s Final List of His Top 10 Favorite Films

in Film | July 9th, 2014 33 Comments

Image by Sound Opinions, via Flickr Commons

Roger Ebert seems to have resented star ratings, which he had to dish out atop each and every one of his hundreds upon hundreds of regular newspaper movie reviews. He also emphasized, every once in a while, his disdain for the “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” system that became his and Gene Siskel’s television trademark. And he could hardly ever abide that run-of-the-mill critic’s standby, the top-ten list. Filmgoers who never paid attention to Ebert’s career will likely, at this point, insist that the man never really liked anything, but those of us who read him for years, even decades, know the true depth and scope of his love for movies, a passion he even expressed, regularly, in list form. He did so for, as he put it , “the one single list of interest to me. Every 10 years, the ancient and venerable British film magazine, Sight & Sound , polls the world’s directors, movie critics, and assorted producers, cinematheque operators and festival directors, etc., to determine the Greatest Films of All Time.”

“Why do I value this poll more than others?” Ebert asks. “It has sentimental value. The first time I saw it in the magazine, I was much impressed by the names of the voters, and felt a thrill to think that I might someday be invited to join their numbers. I was teaching a film course in the University of Chicago’s Fine Arts Program, and taught classes of the top ten films in 1972, 1982 and 1992.” His dream came true, and when he wrote this reflection on sending in his list every decade, he did so a year nearly to the day before his death in 2013, making his entry in the 2012 Sight & Sound poll a kind of last top-ten testament:

2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Werner Herzog, 1972)
Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)
La dolce vita (Federico Fellini, 1960)
The General (Buster Keaton, 1926) — free online
Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
Tokyo Story (Yasujirô Ozu, 1953)
The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2010)
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)

Deciding that he must vote for “one new film” he hadn’t included on his 2002 list, Ebert narrowed it down to two candidates: The Tree of Life and Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York . “Like the Herzog, the Kubrick and the Coppola, they are films of almost foolhardy ambition. Like many of the films on my list, they were directed by the artist who wrote them. Like several of them, they attempt no less than to tell the story of an entire life. [ … ] I could have chosen either film — I chose The Tree of Life because it’s more affirmative and hopeful. I realise that isn’t a defensible reason for choosing one film over the other, but it is my reason, and making this list is essentially impossible, anyway.” That didn’t stop his cinephilia from prevailing — not that much ever could.

Add a comment

Free Courses

Art & Art History
Classics/Ancient World
Computer Science
Data Science
Engineering
Environment
Political Science
Writing & Journalism
All 1500 Free Courses
1000+ MOOCs & Certificate Courses

Receive our Daily Email

Free updates, get our daily email.

Get the best cultural and educational resources on the web curated for you in a daily email. We never spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Free Movies

1150 Free Movies Online
Free Film Noir
Silent Films
Documentaries
Martial Arts/Kung Fu
Free Hitchcock Films
Free Charlie Chaplin
Free John Wayne Movies
Free Tarkovsky Films
Free Dziga Vertov
Free Oscar Winners
Free Language Lessons
All Languages

Free eBooks

700 Free eBooks
Free Philosophy eBooks
The Harvard Classics
Philip K. Dick Stories
Neil Gaiman Stories
David Foster Wallace Stories & Essays
Hemingway Stories
Great Gatsby & Other Fitzgerald Novels
HP Lovecraft
Edgar Allan Poe
Free Alice Munro Stories
Jennifer Egan Stories
George Saunders Stories
Hunter S. Thompson Essays
Joan Didion Essays
Gabriel Garcia Marquez Stories
David Sedaris Stories
Stephen King
Golden Age Comics
Free Books by UC Press
Life Changing Books

Free Audio Books

700 Free Audio Books
Free Audio Books: Fiction
Free Audio Books: Poetry
Free Audio Books: Non-Fiction

Free Textbooks

Free Physics Textbooks
Free Computer Science Textbooks
Free Math Textbooks

K-12 Resources

Free Video Lessons
Web Resources by Subject
Quality YouTube Channels
Teacher Resources
All Free Kids Resources

Free Art & Images

All Art Images & Books
The Rijksmuseum
Smithsonian
The Guggenheim
The National Gallery
The Whitney
LA County Museum
Stanford University
British Library
Google Art Project
French Revolution
Getty Images
Guggenheim Art Books
Met Art Books
Getty Art Books
New York Public Library Maps
Museum of New Zealand
Smarthistory
Coloring Books
All Bach Organ Works
All of Bach
80,000 Classical Music Scores
Free Classical Music
Live Classical Music
9,000 Grateful Dead Concerts
Alan Lomax Blues & Folk Archive

Writing Tips

William Zinsser
Kurt Vonnegut
Toni Morrison
Margaret Atwood
David Ogilvy
Billy Wilder
All posts by date

Personal Finance

Open Personal Finance
Amazon Kindle
Architecture
Artificial Intelligence
Beat & Tweets
Comics/Cartoons
Current Affairs
English Language
Entrepreneurship
Food & Drink
Graduation Speech
How to Learn for Free
Internet Archive
Language Lessons
Most Popular
Neuroscience
Photography
Pretty Much Pop
Productivity
UC Berkeley
Uncategorized
Video - Arts & Culture
Video - Politics/Society
Video - Science
Video Games

Great Lectures

Michel Foucault
Sun Ra at UC Berkeley
Richard Feynman
Joseph Campbell
Jorge Luis Borges
Leonard Bernstein
Richard Dawkins
Buckminster Fuller
Walter Kaufmann on Existentialism
Jacques Lacan
Roland Barthes
Nobel Lectures by Writers
Bertrand Russell
Oxford Philosophy Lectures

Receive our newsletter!

Open Culture scours the web for the best educational media. We find the free courses and audio books you need, the language lessons & educational videos you want, and plenty of enlightenment in between.

Great Recordings

T.S. Eliot Reads Waste Land
Sylvia Plath - Ariel
Joyce Reads Ulysses
Joyce - Finnegans Wake
Patti Smith Reads Virginia Woolf
Albert Einstein
Charles Bukowski
Bill Murray
Fitzgerald Reads Shakespeare
William Faulkner
Flannery O'Connor
Tolkien - The Hobbit
Allen Ginsberg - Howl
Dylan Thomas
Anne Sexton
John Cheever
David Foster Wallace

Book Lists By

Neil deGrasse Tyson
Ernest Hemingway
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Allen Ginsberg
Patti Smith
Henry Miller
Christopher Hitchens
Joseph Brodsky
Donald Barthelme
David Bowie
Samuel Beckett
Art Garfunkel
Marilyn Monroe
Picks by Female Creatives
Zadie Smith & Gary Shteyngart
Lynda Barry

Favorite Movies

Kurosawa's 100
David Lynch
Werner Herzog
Woody Allen
Wes Anderson
Luis Buñuel
Roger Ebert
Susan Sontag
Scorsese Foreign Films
Philosophy Films
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006

Advertise with Us
Copyright Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use

an image, when javascript is unavailable

“2001: A Space Odyssey”

Roger Ebert called Stanley Kubrick 's 2001: A Space Odyssey , "a great visionary leap, unsurpassed in its vision of man and the universe. It was a statement that came at a time which now looks something like the peak of humanity's technological optimism."

“An Alan Smithee Film”

"In taking his name off the film, Arthur Hiller has wisely distanced himself from the disaster, but on the basis of what's on the screen I cannot, frankly, imagine any version of this film that I would want to see. The only way to save this film would be to trim 86 minutes," wrote Ebert.

“Apocalypse Now”

Of Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 war epic, Ebert said: " Apocalypse Now is a film which still causes real, not figurative, chills to run along my spine, and it is certainly the bravest and most ambitious fruit of Coppola's genius"

“Aguirre, Wrath of God”

Werner Herzog was among Ebert's most celebrated filmmakers. In his review of Herzog's Aguirre, Wrath of God , he described the film as "one of the great haunting visions of the cinema"

“Baby Geniuses”

"This is an old idea, beautifully expressed by Wordsworth, who said, 'Heaven lies about us in our infancy,'" wrote Ebert. "If I could quote the whole poem instead of completing this review, believe me, we'd all we happier. But I press on."

“Citizen Kane”

While recounting his favorite films of all time, Ebert had but a simplistic comment for the Orson Welles drama: " Citizen Kane speaks for itself."

“Dukes of Hazzard”

"It's a retread of a sitcom that ran from about 1979 to 1985, years during which I was able to find better ways to pass my time. Yes, it is still another TV program I have never ever seen. As this list grows, it provides more and more clues about why I am so smart and cheerful…. Bo and Luke are involved in a mishap that causes their faces to be blackened with soot, and then, wouldn't you know, they drive into an African-American neighborhood, where their car is surrounded by ominous young men who are not amused by blackface, or by the Confederate flag painted on the car. I was hoping maybe the boyz n the hood would carjack the General, which would provide a fresh twist to the story, but no, the scene sinks into the mire of its own despond."

“La Dolce Vita”

" La Dolce Vita has become a touchstone in my life: A film about a kind of life I dreamed of living, then a film about the life I was living, the about my escape from that life. Now, half a century after its release, it is about the arc of my life, and its closing scene is an eerie reflection of my wordlessness and difficulty in communicating. I still yearn and dream, but it is so hard for me to communicate that–not literally, but figuratively. So the Fellini stays," he wrote.

“North”

In one of his most infamous reviews, Ebert said of North : "I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it."

“One Woman or Two”

In another blistering review, he commented: "Add it all up, and what you've got here is a waste of good electricity. I'm not talking about the electricity between the actors. I'm talking about the current to the projector."

“Raging Bull”

"Many would choose Taxi Driver as [Martin] Scorsese 's greatest film, but I believe Raging Bull is his best and most personal, a film he says in some ways saved his life," Ebert wrote. "It is the greatest cinematic expression of the torture of jealousy–his Othello ."

“Sour Grapes”

Larry David 's 1998 comedy did not sit well with Ebert. "How to account for the fact that Larry David is one of the creators of Seinfeld ? Maybe he works well with others. I can't easily remember a film I've enjoyed less. North , a comedy I hated, was at least able to inflame me with dislike. Sour Grapes is a movie that deserves its title: It's puckered, deflated and vinegary. It's a dead zone."

“The General”

Selecting his favorite silent film, Ebert chose Buster Keaton 's The General , calling it "his best."

“The Hot Chick”

Of Rob Schneider 's teen comedy — which introduced many to a young Rachel McAdams — Ebert said: "The movie resolutely avoids all the comic possibilities of its situation, and becomes one more dumb high school comedy about sex gags and prom dates…. Through superhuman effort of the will, I did not walk out of The Hot Chick , but reader, I confess I could not sit through the credits. The MPAA rates this PG-13. It is too vulgar for anyone under 13, and too dumb for anyone over 13."

“The Village”

"To call it an anticlimax would be an insult not only to climaxes but to prefixes," he lamented of M. Night Shamalan 's 2004 psychological horror film. "It's a crummy secret, about one step up the ladder of narrative originality from It Was All a Dream. It's so witless, in fact, that when we do discover the secret, we want to rewind the film so we don't know the secret anymore."

“Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie”

"As faithful readers will know, I have a few cult followers who enjoy my reviews of bad movies," he began. "These have been collected in the books I Hated, Hated, Hated, HATED This Movie ; Your Movie Sucks , and A Horrible Experience of Unendurable Length . This movie is so bad, it couldn't even inspire a review worthy of one of those books. I have my standards."

“Tokyo Story”

"The older I grow and the more I observe how age affects our relationships, the more I think Tokyo Story has to teach us," he claimed. "Kurosawa's Ikiru has as much to say, but in the rigid economy of the Sight & Sound limitations, impossible choices are forced."

“Tommy Boy”

" Tommy Boy is one of those movies that plays like an explosion down at the screenplay factory," he said. "You can almost picture a bewildered office boy, his face smudged with soot, wandering through the ruins and rescuing pages at random. Too bad they didn't mail them to the insurance company instead of filming them."

“Tree of Life”

Ebert called Terrence Malick 's Brad Pitt starrer, "affirmative and hopeful." "In The Tree of Life ," he said, "Malick boldly begins with the Big Bang and ends in an unspecified state of attenuated consciousness after death. The central section is the story of birth and raising a family."

“Vertigo”

Ebert also named Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo among his 10 favorite films of all time. " Vertigo (1958), which is one of the two or three best films Hitchcock ever made, is the most confessional, dealing directly with the themes that controlled his art. It is *about* how Hitchcock used, feared and tried to control women."

100 episodes

'Roger & Me' is a weekly movie review podcast tribute to 'Siskel & Ebert' hosted by film critics Brett Arnold & Mark Dujsik, aiming to cover every new theatrical and streaming release each Friday in the format Gene and Roger pioneered. The only guide to new release movies you'll ever need.

Roger (Ebert) & Me: Movie Reviews Brett Arnold

TV & Film
4.5 • 39 Ratings
APR 26, 2024

Challengers, Boy Kills World, Humane, Infested, The Feeling that the Time For Doing Something Has Passed

4:45 Challengers 22:50 Boy Kills World 31:42 Humane 40:47 Infested 47:39 The Feeling that the Time For Doing Something Has Passed Brett was in a hurry and quickly did this with no edits or description writing. More to come!

APR 19, 2024

Abigail, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Three Musketeers - Part II: Milady, Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver, Sasquatch Sunset, Blood for Dust, Stress Positions

3:23 Abigail (Radio Silence) 17:43 The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Guy Ritchie) 28:18 The Three Musketeers - Part II: Milady 35:43 Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (Zack Snyder) 44:49 Sasquatch Sunset 52:39 Blood for Dust 58:58 Stress Positions On this week's 'Roger (Ebert) & Me,' an imitation 'Siskel & Ebert' movie review show, film critics Brett Arnold of The New Flesh & Mark Dujsik of markreviewsmovies.com take on seven (7) new release movies out in theaters and streaming the week of Friday April 12th 2024 (04/12/2024). Check out markreviewsmovies.com for several more movies reviewed by Mark. Brett's a slacker! For more on ABIGAIL, check out The New Flesh, Brett's horror show, out on Monday. Thank you to Banshee Beat for the incredible original theme song. Alien Ant Farm's music video for 'Movies' closes the show. And thanks to Mary Houlihan for the killer hand-drawn artwork. "Roger (Ebert) & Me" is a celebration of the late, great Roger Ebert, aiming to keep his unique spirit of film criticism alive by reviewing new movies in the easily digestible format that he pioneered. In other words, it's a movie review podcast. A podcast for regular moviegoers and people who like to keep up with new release movies. Every Friday, join Brett and veteran film critic Mark Dujsik as they review all the movies set for theatrical or streaming release that day and let you know if they're worth your time and money.

APR 12, 2024

Civil War, Arcadian, The Long Game, Sting, Sweet Dream, Laroy Texas, All You Need Is Death

3:13 Civil War 26:26 Arcadian 34:24 The Long Game 43:38 Sting 52:03 Sweet Dreams 1:00:25 Laroy Texas 01:08:53 All You Need Is Death On this week's 'Roger (Ebert) & Me,' an imitation 'Siskel & Ebert' movie review show, film critics Brett Arnold of The New Flesh & Mark Dujsik of markreviewsmovies.com take on seven (7) new release movies out in theaters and streaming the week of Friday April 12th 2024 (04/12/2024). Check out markreviewsmovies.com for several more movies reviewed by Mark. Brett's a slacker! For more on CIVIL WAR, check out The New Flesh, Brett's other show, out on Monday. Thank you to Banshee Beat for the incredible original theme song. Alien Ant Farm's music video for 'Movies' closes the show. And thanks to Mary Houlihan for the killer hand-drawn artwork. "Roger (Ebert) & Me" is a celebration of the late, great Roger Ebert, aiming to keep his unique spirit of film criticism alive by reviewing new movies in the easily digestible format that he pioneered. In other words, it's a movie review podcast. A podcast for regular moviegoers and people who like to keep up with new release movies. Every Friday, join Brett and veteran film critic Mark Dujsik as they review all the movies set for theatrical or streaming release that day and let you know if they're worth your time and money.

1 hr 18 min
APR 5, 2024

The First Omen, Monkey Man, The Beast, Wicked Little Letters, Música, Coup de Chance, The People's Joker, Baghead, The Old Oak, A Bit of Light

3:56 The First Omen 19:45 Monkey Man 27:30 The Beast 38:23 Wicked Little Letters 45:14 Música 53:08 Coup de Chance 01:01:58 The People's Joker 01:15:59 Baghead 01:23:35 The Old Oak 01:32:13 A Bit of Light On this week's 'Roger (Ebert) & Me,' an imitation 'Siskel & Ebert' movie review show, film critics Brett Arnold of The New Flesh & Mark Dujsik of markreviewsmovies.com are putting up double digits again, tackling another ten (10) new release movies out in theaters and streaming the week of Friday April 5th 2024 (04/05/2024). Check out markreviewsmovies.com for several more movies reviewed by Mark. Brett's a slacker! For more on the many genre titles out this week, check out The New Flesh, Brett's other show, out on Monday. Thank you to Banshee Beat for the incredible original theme song. Alien Ant Farm's music video for 'Movies' closes the show. And thanks to Mary Houlihan for the killer hand-drawn artwork. "Roger (Ebert) & Me" is a celebration of the late, great Roger Ebert, aiming to keep his unique spirit of film criticism alive by reviewing new movies in the easily digestible format that he pioneered. In other words, it's a movie review podcast. A podcast for regular moviegoers and people who like to keep up with new release movies. Every Friday, join Brett and veteran film critic Mark Dujsik as they review all the movies set for theatrical or streaming release that day and let you know if they're worth your time and money.

1 hr 43 min
MAR 29, 2024

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, In the Land of Saints and Sinners, Asphalt City, Dogman, Lousy Carter, The Listener

4:34 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire 18:25 In the Land of Saints and Sinners 26:55 Asphalt City 38:29 Dogman 49:54 Lousy Carter 55:33 The Listener We are aware Mark's audio level is lower than Brett's here. Hoping to fix during the recording next time! Apologies. On this week's 'Roger (Ebert) & Me,' an imitation 'Siskel & Ebert' movie review show, film critics Brett Arnold of The New Flesh & Mark Dujsik of markreviewsmovies.com are putting up double digits, tackling six (6) new release movies out in theaters and streaming the week of Friday March 29th 2024 (03/29/2024). Check out markreviewsmovies.com for several more movies reviewed by Mark. Brett's a slacker! For more on the many genre titles out this week, check out The New Flesh, Brett's other show, out on Monday. Thank you to Banshee Beat for the incredible original theme song. Alien Ant Farm's music video for 'Movies' closes the show. And thanks to Mary Houlihan for the killer hand-drawn artwork. "Roger (Ebert) & Me" is a celebration of the late, great Roger Ebert, aiming to keep his unique spirit of film criticism alive by reviewing new movies in the easily digestible format that he pioneered. In other words, it's a movie review podcast. A podcast for regular moviegoers and people who like to keep up with new release movies. Every Friday, join Brett and veteran film critic Mark Dujsik as they review all the movies set for theatrical or streaming release that day and let you know if they're worth your time and money.

MAR 22, 2024

Ghostbusters Frozen Empire, Immaculate, Road House, Late Night with the Devil, Sleeping Dogs, You Will Never Find Me, Exhuma, Femme, Riddle of Fire, Don't Expect Too Much From The End of the World

4:00 Ghostbusters Frozen Empire 17:17 Immaculate 27:57 Road House 37:52 Late Night with the Devil 46:20 You Will Never Find Me 54:12 Sleeping Dogs 01:02:39 Don't Expect Too Much From The End of the World 01:13:02 Exhuma 01:19:08 Femme 01:25:33 Riddle of Fire On this week's 'Roger (Ebert) & Me,' an imitation 'Siskel & Ebert' movie review show, film critics Brett Arnold of The New Flesh & Mark Dujsik of markreviewsmovies.com are putting up double digits, tackling TEN (10) new release movies out in theaters and streaming the week of Friday March 22nd 2024 (03/22/2024). Check out markreviewsmovies.com for several more movies reviewed by Mark. Brett's a slacker! For more on the many genre titles out this week, check out The New Flesh, Brett's other show, out on Monday. Thank you to Banshee Beat for the incredible original theme song. Alien Ant Farm's music video for 'Movies' closes the show. And thanks to Mary Houlihan for the killer hand-drawn artwork. "Roger (Ebert) & Me" is a celebration of the late, great Roger Ebert, aiming to keep his unique spirit of film criticism alive by reviewing new movies in the easily digestible format that he pioneered. In other words, it's a movie review podcast. A podcast for regular moviegoers and people who like to keep up with new release movies. Every Friday, join Brett and veteran film critic Mark Dujsik as they review all the movies set for theatrical or streaming release that day and let you know if they're worth your time and money.

1 hr 35 min
© 2024 Roger (Ebert) & Me: Movie Reviews

Customer Reviews

Great movie podcast..

I listen every week. Its okay to ff through the intro I think. I’ve gotten some great recommendations which I love. Thanks!!

But you don’t need to explain the shows title in every episode…

Great Show!!!!

I listened to the 2 big Christmas episodes while on vacation over the holiday & they were fantastic. I’m listening to the end of year episode next up.

Top Podcasts In TV & Film

The 10 Greatest Movies of All Time, According to Roger Ebert

How many have you seen?

Perhaps the most respected and well-known movie critic of all time, Roger Ebert is a key figure in cinema history . His widely read reviews were poignant and incisive yet sometimes divisive and ever so entertaining; often, his opinion was the one that could decide the fate of a movie.

In the days before the internet, audiences looked to the newspapers for his take on the latest films. That was the magic of Ebert: bringing film criticism to the mainstream. From 1967 until his death in 2013, Ebert wrote for The Chicago Sun-Times and became the first critic to receive a Pulitzer Prize for his film criticism. Now, Ebert's opinion matters just as much, or perhaps even more than it did during his heyday. These movies are the best, in Ebert's not-so-humble opinion , and any dedicated cinephile would add his top ten to their watchlist .

"If I must make a list of the Ten Greatest Films of All Time, my first vow is to make the list for myself, not for anybody else." - Roger Ebert.

1 'Casablanca' (1942)

Director: michael curtiz.

An iconic movie on multiple levels, Casablanc a features Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman as Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund, a pair of former lovers reuniting in the Vichy-controlled city of Casablanca. Fighting their lingering feelings, Rick must help Ilsa's husband, a Czechoslovak resistance leader, escape so he can continue his fight against the Nazis during World War II.

Casablanca is not only a top-rated movie on Ebert's list but is currently number three on the American Film Institute's top 100 movies over 100 years. Ebert dotes upon the film, indicating, "Stylistically, the film is not so much brilliant as absolutely sound, rock-solid in its use of Hollywood studio craftsmanship." Casablanca earned its due as Best Picture in 1944 and has continued to be highly regarded by critics and cinephiles.

Watch on Max

2 'Citizen Kane' (1941)

Director: orson welles.

Citizen Kane is a movie that continues to age like fine wine, retaining its status as one of the best movies of all time, currently number one on AFI's list of the best American movies ever . Directed by Orson Welles , this movie tells the story of a group of reporters desperate to decode the final words of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane (Welles), infamously based on real-life magnate William Randolph Hearst.

In a wild original story of the Hollywood dream, Ebert wonderfully points out, "It is one of the miracles of cinema that in 1941 a first-time director; a cynical, hard-drinking writer; an innovative cinematographer, and a group of New York stage and radio actors were given the keys to a studio and total control, and made a masterpiece." Highly influential from nearly every technical and narrative perspective, Citizen Kane stands out as one of the greatest movies ever made , a timeless tale of all-consuming greed and the tragedy of the American Dream.

Citizen Kane

Rent on Amazon

3 'Floating Weeds' (1959)

Director: yasujirō ozu.

An excellent international feature film, Floating Weeds flies mostly under the radar when it comes to mainstream attention. The 1959 drama tells the story of a man who returns to the small town where he left his son and attempts to make up for the missed years while the child remains under the assumption the man is his uncle.

Ebert recognized that many viewers had probably never seen or heard of the film or director Yasujirô Ozu . Speaking highly of this feature, Ebert said, " Ozu fashioned his style by himself and never changed it, and to see his films is to be inside a completely alternative cinematic language." Indeed, Floating Weeds is visually stunning , with highly contrasting colors painting a beautiful picture of what is, essentially, a tender tale of reconciliation and moving on .

4 'Gates of Heaven' (1978)

Director: errol morris.

Referring to director Errol Morris , Ebert said, "He has made a film about life and death, pride and shame, deception and betrayal, and the stubborn quirkiness of human nature." A renowned documentarian, Morris' oeuvre explores knowledge itself, concerned as much with the people possessing it as it is with the highly specific nature of expertise. His ticket to mainstream recognition was Gates of Heaven , a documentary about a pet mortician and the animals he's buried in a California pet cemetery.

No matter if it's a documentary or a feature film, sharp, story-driven movies always caught Ebert's eye . Gates of Heaven is a curious piece of filmmaking, walking a fine line between satire and heartfelt honesty. The result is a film about human nature itself and the power of some unexplained, unbreakable bonds. While it took a different direction than other narratives reviewed by the legendary critic, Gates of Heaven speaks to pet owners and their experiences .

Watch on Tubi

5 'La Dolce Vita' (1960)

Director: federico fellini.

An Oscar-winning Italian masterpiece, La Dolce Vita is a romanticized tale of a week's worth of stories for a tabloid journalist living in Rome. It secured one golden statute for Best Costume Design, yielded three other nominations, and now stands as one of its country's greatest cinematic achievements. The film stars Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg and is directed by Federico Fellini .

Like any good film study, Ebert's review and praise encourage viewers to look beyond the surface popularity or scandal of the film's release and understand what it's trying to say. As he discussed rewatching the film almost once a decade, Ebert explained how his vantage point in life shifted his view of the film, concluding, "There may be no such thing as the sweet life. But it is necessary to find that out for yourself." Filled with iconic imagery and thought-provoking themes, La Dolce Vita is a timeless and riveting film about life itself , which will surely mean something different for every person, depending on where and, most importantly, when they watch it.

Buy on Flex

6 'Notorious' (1946)

Director: alfred hitchcock.

Adding another iconic director to the greatest of all time, Notorious was Alfred Hitchcock's ticket to Ebert's heart. A drama starring Hollywood royalty Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, the movie follows T.R. Devlin, who recruits the daughter of a convicted German criminal, Alicia, to act as a spy. When she becomes involved with a Nazi hiding in Brazil, their dangerous scheme threatens to slip out of their hands.

Notorious is among Hitchcock's greatest movies , a sleek and stylish spy noir elevated by the electrifying chemistry between Grant and Bergman. Ebert's review revels in Hitchcock's ability "to pluck the strings of human emotion—to play the audience." Among Hitchcock's large, famous filmography , Notorious stands out as one of his most alluring and purely rewatchable efforts, a masterclass in filmmaking that excels at nearly every conceivable level.

Notorious (1946)

7 'raging bull' (1980), director: martin scorsese.

The film that perhaps knocked Taxi Driver off Ebert's top ten list, Raging Bull is one of the best sports movies of all time and arguably the all-time best boxing picture. Starring as real-life boxer Jake La Motta , Robert De Niro portrays the middleweight champ's dominating, violent force inside the ring, which translated into a volatile and painful life outside of it.

Ebert commends the cinematic artwork led by director Martin Scorsese , from the black-and-white aesthetic choice to the overall production. An adaptation of La Motta's autobiography, Raging Bull earned eight Oscar nominations and two wins. It is now widely regarded as possibly Scorsese's finest, a grueling and emotionally violent portrayal of a complicated yet fascinating figure. Raging Bull is often a challenging watch , but De Niro's fierce, committed performance and Scorsese's assured direction make it a must-watch for any true cinephile.

Raging Bull

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Raging Bull is a 1980 sports drama based on the rise and fall of real-life boxer Jake LaMotta as he strives for success while dealing with his inner demons and his violent temper. Robert De Niro stars as the middleweight champion, with Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, and Nicholas Colasanto in supporting roles.

Watch on Amazon

8 'The Third Man' (1949)

Director: carol reed.

One of IMDb's top-rated films , The Third Man is also within Ebert's choices. A gripping mystery and visually distinctive triumph, this film-noir tells the story of Holly Martins ( Joseph Cotten ) in postwar Vienna as he investigates the death of his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles).

This cinematic masterpiece captured not only the heart of Ebert but new audiences for decades. In his review , Ebert details the physical cinematic experience he encountered when he saw the movie, capturing the importance of how the movie-going experience is still so important no matter where you are in the world. "This movie is on the altar of my love for the cinema," he said. Famous for its atmospheric and striking cinematography, The Third Man might just be the ultimate film noir and an engaging mystery that keeps enthralling nearly a century after its release.

The Third Man

9 '28 up' (1984), director: michael apted.

Another documentary audiences may not be familiar with, 28 Up is a biographical piece in which director Michael Apted interviews the same group of British adults over several seven-year wait periods. With over two hours in runtime, it's a longer documentary but worth the watch to see the evolution of these subjects over almost 30 years.

28 Up is a prime example of how filmmaking can bridge time , according to his testimonial on the film. Apted's experiment was like nothing audiences or Ebert had seen at the time; indeed, it remains fascinating even today, a truly groundbreaking piece of filmmaking that challenges notions and expectations. Few films have the scope of 28 Up , a refreshing documentary that delivers something new with each rewatch.

Rent on BritBox

10 '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968)

Director: stanley kubrick.

Iconic, top-rated, foundational...all descriptors that apply to 2001: A Space Odyssey . Directed by Stanley Kubrick , this sci-fi film takes audiences through space and time as a spaceship, operated by two men and an AI computer named H.A.L 9000, is sent to Jupiter to understand a mysterious artifact.

The Oscar winner for Best Visual Effects, 2001: A Space Odyssey set the bar for where technology was headed in cinematic storytelling . Ebert referred to the film as "a landmark of non-narrative, poetic filmmaking, in which the connections were made by images, not dialog or plot." It's truly difficult to put 2001 's profound impact into words. Instead, the film should speak for itself, and it truly does; it's evocative, profoundly eerie, and thought-provoking, the very definition of a cinematic masterpiece.

2001: A Space Odyssey

NEXT: 9 Movies Roger Ebert Hated, But Audiences Loved

Our travel boxes are selling out! Grab your Shop TODAY Staycation box for 63% off before it's gone

TODAY Plaza
Share this —

Watch Full Episodes
Read With Jenna
Inspirational
Relationships
TODAY Table
Newsletters
Start TODAY
Shop TODAY Awards
Citi Concert Series
Listen All Day

Follow today

More Brands

On The Show

Roger Ebert's last movie review was a thumbs-up

Fittingly, Roger Ebert's last movie review was of a film he thoroughly enjoyed. The esteemed critic died Thursday at age 70 , and his longtime employer, the Chicago Sun-Times published his final review in Sunday's paper . Appropriately enough for the critic who so loved film, it was a good one -- three-and-a-half stars.

Ebert's final review is of "To the Wonder," a romantic drama from director Terrence Malick and starring Ben Affleck.

Related: Film critic Roger Ebert dies at age 70

Wrote Ebert at the end of his review, "There will be many who find 'To the Wonder' elusive and too effervescent. They'll be dissatisfied by a film that would rather evoke than supply. I understand that, and I think Terrence Malick does, too. But here he has attempted to reach more deeply than that: to reach beneath the surface, and find the soul in need."

At least one fan found the choice of film poignant considering the circumstances.

Related: Why Ebert mattered to movie lovers everywhere

"As unfortunate as it is to read this last review by Ebert, I cannot help but think that he couldn't have picked a better review to leave us with," wrote Taylor Spangler on the Sun-Times site. "I mean: love, life, and movies...the big stuff is all here. I hope to catch this movie, and one last time reread Ebert's review and try and gain further insight into the film, the art form, and of course the mind of Roger Ebert."

Chris Ward agreed, writing, "I believe it beautiful and fitting that this was Mr. Ebert's last filed review, and not a sequel to, say, 'North.' The balcony is closed."

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors.

Now streaming on:

Across a strikingly monotone desert landscape a figure cloaked in black rides atop a horse. It’s a vision that instantly recalls the horsemen of the apocalypse. But when the rider dismounts the horse at the first sight of water and removes her breast from her robes, filling the oasis with breast milk, we are spellbound as we come to understand the concoction of historied fables and narrative reinvention that gives “Omen” structure.

In his directorial debut, Congolese-Belgian rapper Baloji reckons with the spiritual and existential in a narrative rife with sorcery and familial face-offs. “Omen” is split into four chapters, each named after its respective protagonist (though each chapter intersects). Koffi ( Marc Zinga ), like Baloji, is a Congolese man living in Belgium. With nearly two decades separating him from his last return home, Koffi and his wife, Alice ( Lucie Debay ), pregnant with twins, are heading back to introduce her and their children-to-be to his family. Yet Koffi, riddled with anxieties over his parents’ traditionalism, is nervous not only to bring his white wife home, but apprehensive to re-engage with the strict, highly spiritual culture that previously cast him out.

The film’s title rings as a warning through every action taken, every crossed path, every “accident” encountered. When Koffi lands in Congo, he is unable to reach his sister, who is supposed to pick him up from the airport. Left to their own devices, when they obtain a car, they travel to the mines to look for his father and deliver a dowry, and he is nowhere to be found. And after arriving at the family party, Koffi holds his sister’s infant son, and while doing so, gets a nosebleed that spatters the child’s cheek in blood. The boy is ripped from his arms as the women insist that he has cursed the baby, and he is dragged to a hut where a shaman performs rites to rid and redeem, dunking his head in water and nailing a wooden mask around his head. The question of omens is not only posed to Koffi, but to us as well. Are these hysterics wrong or warranted?

While Koffi is the film’s core character, his sister Tshala ( Eliane Umuhire ), mother Mujila ( Yves-Marina Gnahoua ), and a young boy named Paco ( Marcel Otete Kabeya ), whose story runs alongside rather than intertwined with Koffi’s, are given their own chapters in the story. The formula of “Omen” sees its cast approaching their utterly human fates under the influences of omens, shamans, and a surrealist spirit realm. Tshala, casually rebuked by her family for moving to South Africa “to live with the white Africans” hides her polyamorous relationship for fears of greater rejection. Mujila battles motherly instinct against spiritual belief, struggling to find ground firm enough for confident dwelling. And Paco, living in a repurposed bus with his crew of tutu-clad wrestling gangsters, mourns the loss of his sister while also navigating the increasingly violent threats of a rival gang.

Each of these protagonists finds themselves on the defensive end of a fight to pilot their own existences, and the world in which they search for support feels on constant brink of collapse. “Omen” excellently captures the feelings of both cultural and generational alienation. In script and performance, there is never a moment of certainty. When the hard-boiled problems of shunned family, complex relationships, and mortality are met with the elusive treatments of cultural spiritualism, it’s apparent in Koffi’s fear, Tshala’s dejection, Mujila’s mournful eyes, and Paco’s indignant anger that everyone is clawing for control in a world that permits none.

The tenets of the culture’s belief system are never unpacked, only passively hinted, and are portrayed differently from a separately suggested otherworldly dimension that we see in a flashback with Paco and his sister. What these psychic portrayals don’t lack, however, is style. Creative camera angles, puffs of colored smoke, static shots marked by nighttime chiaroscuro or daytime technicolor, and eclectic wardrobe choices that just makes you think “god that’s cool,” are easy distractions. While Baloji’s intent could be to lean into ambiguity, context becomes desired even as the stunning visual tableaus and excellent costuming seek to be enough. The surreal is in living breathing form in “Omen,” and the magical realism is aptly bewitching. What remains consistent is the film’s base commitment to the motif of life substances: blood, milk, and water; corruption, subsistence, and redemption.

“Omen” is a visually enthralling piece of magical realism proposing ideas on pariahs, culture, and individuality in a world with constantly changing rules. But in devoting so much work to the aesthetic, it falls behind in making sense of its phantasmagoric storylines. The intentions are clear, and some of the feelings snake their way through the high grasses of its flair, but the ideas that form the foundation of “Omen” are built on splintering wood, cheekily threatening to crush it all.

Peyton Robinson

Peyton Robinson is a freelance film writer based in Chicago, IL.

Now playing

The Fall Guy

Brian tallerico.

Peter Sobczynski

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver

Simon abrams.

Nowhere Special

Asphalt City

Glenn kenny.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Christy lemire, film credits.

Omen (2024)

Marc Zinga as Koffi

Lucie Debay as Alice

Eliane Umuhire as Tshala

Yves-Marina Gnahoua as Mama Mujila

Marcel Otete Kabeya as Paco

Baloji Tshiani

Latest blog posts

Speed Kills: On the 25th Anniversary of Go

Joanna Arnow Made Her BDSM Comedy for You

The Movies That Underwent Major Changes After Their Festival Premiere

Netflix's Dead Boy Detectives Is A Spinoff Stuck In Limbo

Roger Ebert’s 20 Most Scathing Movie Reviews

Praise from Roger Ebert was sometimes seen as the biggest win a movie could get. Conversely, when he hated a film, he didn't pull his punches.

If there's ever been a film critic who has achieved near-universal respect, it was Roger Ebert . The man loved movies like life itself and not once ever allowed his writing to become lazy or cliché. He wrote from the heart, and it was palpable.

But, the Chicago Sun-Times (from '67 to 2013) critic wasn't enamored with every film to come down the pipeline. After all, the more solid movies one watches, the more they're able to pick up on the flaws of the poor ones. Ebert saw an awful lot of movies, and he wrote an awful lot of words about them. It's just that not all of them were positive, even if, sometimes, the films weren't actually that bad .

20 Alligator (1980)

Roger's rating - 1/4 stars.

When a little girl's parents buy her a pet baby alligator, it's only so long before that thing gets flushed down a toilet. And, for the characters of John Sayles' (who went on to direct excellent indies such as Lone Star ) Alligator , that's far from a good thing. Jackie Brown 's Robert Forster plays the cop on its scaled tail, unless it gobbles him up first.

What Did He Want Out of Alligator?

Well, the man couldn't always be on the money. He gave Alligator just a single star, citing its supposedly poor special effects. He even mentions the alligator emerging from the sewer, which, to this day, actually looks pretty terrific. Plenty of creature features (including Anaconda ) earned outright adoration from Ebert, but what he saw in them, he didn't see in this 1980 film, even if it was very much present. Stream Alligator for free with ads on Tubi.

19 Baby Geniuses (1999)

Roger's rating - 1.5/4 stars.

Baby Geniuses isn't just one of Hollywood's most bizarre movies, it's outright Hollywood's most bizarre franchise . Yet, Kathleen Turner and Christopher Lloyd wisely bowed out of the one theatrical sequel, as they should have with this. The plot follows the test subjects of Babyco, a company which has just learned that, up until the age of two, babies can communicate with one another in extremely eloquent and detailed fashion.

He Described it as Horrifying

Ebert starts his review with, "Bad films are easy to make, but a film as unpleasant as Baby Geniuses achieves a kind of grandeur." Never has the word 'grandeur' carried more bizarre weight. But Baby Geniuses is nothing if not bizarre.

Or, as Ebert concludes the opening paragraph of his review, it's the type of movie where "there is something so fundamentally wrong that our human instincts cry out in protest." Ouch. Rent Baby Geniuses on Prime Video.

18 Bad Boys II (2003)

Everything that many people dislike about Michael Bay was brought to the forefront in his Bad Boys II . Infinitely more mean-spirited, unpleasant, and sometimes outright ignorant than his solid first film , many decisions in this (financially successful) film's construction are somewhat baffling. The plot, what little of it there is, follows Will Smith's Mike Lowrey and Martin Lawrence's Marcus Burnett as they take down a drug kingpin, often in slow motion.

Fortunately, things improved drastically with Bad Boys for Life , which lost Bay as director. Unfortunately, Ebert had already passed away at the time of release. So, his last adventure with the pair of humorous but competent cops was this, a film which he called "cruel" and "distasteful." He wasn't wrong. Stream Bad Boys II on Hulu.

17 Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)

Roger's rating - .5/4 stars.

Ebert gave Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever just half of one star. So, there wasn't really much of anything about it he found merit in. This includes the mouthful of a title, which is not only difficult for ticket buyers to spout, but makes absolutely no sense.

Aren't We Cool

Ecks and Sever are allies in the film, the whole time, even before either one of them fully realizes it. There's no versus between them. The level of thought that went into the title went into the remainder of the film. As Ebert states , it's not so much a narrative as much as it's a series of explosions book ended by opening and closing credits.

16 Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

Battle: los angeles.

*Availability in US

Not available

It's pretty easy to pinpoint what Battle: Los Angeles wanted to be, even if it's harder to pinpoint just why it fails in every regard. It wants to be Black Hawk Down with aliens, pure and simple. Just look at its whole boots-on-the-ground vibe.

What a Missed Opportunity

But, like audiences at large quickly realized, as did Ebert, not even Aaron Eckhart's main character is as believable or fleshed-out as the side players in Black Hawk Down. By act two, the audience realizes the human characters have as much personality as the unintentionally ugly CGI aliens. So, why would they feel invested in the greater conflict? Rent on AppleTV.

15 Battlefield Earth (2000)

The plot of Battlefield Earth is irrelevant in comparison to the mentality that fueled its construction. It's the Scientology movie, plain and simple. Equipped with Psychlos, horrid dialogue, and devout follower John Travolta (who really hams it up here), that's all it ever really wanted to be. But, instead of spreading whatever Scientology's core message is, it made it a bigger laughingstock than its detractors already found it to be.

Did Ebert See an Upside?

He starts his review with, " Battlefield Earth is like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time." So, suffice it to say, he didn't find the viewing a pleasant experience. Which is fair, considering it seems every extra dollar funneled into this thing to make it look more impressive actually just served to make it hideous. Rent Battlefield Earth on Prime Video.

14 The Bucket List (2007)

The bucket list.

The Bucket List really hasn't gotten enough credit for being as rotten as it is. Not even Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, two of the most likable and talented performers ever to grace the silver screen, can elevate it from unpleasant to watchable. The narrative follows two twilight-aged men with very different lives who find themselves facing the same thing: The Big C. Now, it's adventure time before time's no more.

Hollow as Can be

But, unlike fellow Nicholson film Terms of Endearment , The Bucket List doesn't even seem to take cancer seriously. It certainly doesn't bother to make its characters seem like actual humans going through one of the toughest times imaginable. Instead, it wants to be pleasant diversionary fare, but it's hard to be pleasant when that factor is looming large. Rent on AppleTV.

13 Cop Out (2010)

Cop Out follows Bruce Willis' Detective Jimmy Monroe (and never had the actor looked more miserable throughout his storied career) and his partner, Paul (Tracy Morgan) as they try and locate a rare baseball card. The thing is, it's Monroe's card, which he hoped to sell to help pay for his daughter's wedding. They get an opportunity to receive the card, but first, they have to carry out a mission for a scummy gangster.

Insert Pun About the Title Here

Cop Out is the only film Kevin Smith has helmed that he himself did not write, and that shows. Even if someone doesn't find themselves on Smith's wavelength, a specific wavelength is preferable to a big bag of nothing. Like audiences in general, Ebert found Cop Out to be nothing more than a deeply unfunny series of poop jokes. For a film about two grown men trying to solve a crime, there are a ton of juvenile jokes. Rightly so, Ebert considered juvenile to be a decent adjective for the movie as a whole. Rent on AppleTV.

12 Dungeons & Dragons (2000)

Since the game was blowing up in the late '90s, why not craft a film for the early aughts? Too bad Dungeons & Dragons appealed to neither fans nor general audiences. Not everyone has the taste for ham...and the 2000 D&D film is a full pig roast.

It Seemed Like an Okay Idea at the Time

Ebert compared the movie to a junior high school play. When a studio funnels a ton of money into a film with the hopes it will succeed, that's basically the last thing higher-ups want to read from America's most famous film critic. That said, at least he notes that Jeremy Irons has a ton of fun hamming it up. Stream Dungeons & Dragons for free with ads on YouTube.

11 Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

Freddy got fingered, roger's rating - 0/4 stars.

There isn't much of a plot in Freddy Got Fingered . Really, it's one of the hardest movies to explain, especially in terms of why someone would like it (they are out there, it's an understandable cult favorite oddity). Basically, the meat is that a ridiculously immature 28-year-old man has issues with his daddy ("Would you like some sausage? Daddy, would you like some sau-sa-ges?").

A Crass Culmination

Freddy Got Fingered made a profit, but Ebert certainly couldn't see how that might come to fruition. He saw the film as the crass culmination of other late '90s and early aughts' films such as See Spot Run (which might just get a mention soon), Monkeybone , Joe Dirt , and Tomcats . In other words, he thought less of it than he did those films, and he most certainly did not like those films. Rent on AppleTV.

10 Godzilla (1998)

Admittedly, and it may be a controversial take, but Roland Emmerich's Godzilla has aged extraordinarily well. If one looks at films like entities trying to accomplish a mission, Godzilla 's was simple: entertain . It does an amazing job of that, with underappreciated pacing, a terrific first attack on Manhattan, and a fun performance from Jean Reno.

Are there elements that still don't work? Absolutely. But, with the MonsterVerse in full swing, giving G-Fans the Big-G they're accustomed to, the sting of disappointment that surrounded Emmerich's film has all but disappeared, allowing it to serve on its own as both a rollercoaster ride and a late '90s timepiece.

Ebert's Thoughts?

Basically, he made a fair comparison to Jurassic Park . Godzilla (1998) isn't so much Godzilla as it is an attempt to replicate the success of that Steven Spielberg masterpiece. It doesn't quite succeed in that goal, and Ebert was quick to cite the film's special effects, especially how they're shrouded in darkness and rain and, far more often than not, Zilla rushes off the screen.

But, in fairness to the film, that helps seal the effect of a big lizard being able to conceal itself below ground in one of the most populated cities on Earth. Stream Godzilla on Max.

RELATED: Godzilla Minus One Director Reveals His Thoughts On Panned 1998 Godzilla Film

9 The Hot Chick (2002)

The hot chick (2002).

For a little while there, Hollywood was trying its best to make Rob Schneider a leading man. And, considering The Hot Chick is the best of his few leading man movies, it's not very surprising things didn't pan out. Yet, just because The Hot Chick is slightly more intelligent than Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo and the baffling The Animal doesn't mean it really possesses merit. That is, besides giving Anna Faris a major role outside Scary Movie and doing a little more to increase Rachel McAdams' exposure.

Switch-a-Ooh, This Is Forgettable

It wasn't a distaste for the body swap movie that turned Ebert off on The Hot Chick , it was this particular one's treatment of female characters. Basically, the women characters in The Hot Chick have very little to do other than openly fantasize about a phallus. In other words, he saw it as the nadir of an already pretty weak sub-genre. Stream on Hulu.

8 Jason X (2001)

If Ebert seemed to have a distaste for any one genre in particular, it was absolutely horror. More often than not, when writing about the genre, he was either harsh or dismissive. But, in the case of Friday the 13th , he made the irresponsible decision of posting performer Betsy Palmer's address just so they could harass her about staring in it. It wasn't a great look, and Ebert never warmed up to the franchise (which, with 12 movies combined, is less harmful than posting someone's, fortunately inaccurate, address).

The Nadir of His Least-Favorite Franchise

So, basically, Jason X was decidedly not the critic's favorite of the year. And, considering even die-hard Friday the 13th fans hate the thing, maybe it can't all be chalked up to franchise bias. That said, he did give some praise to the liquid nitrogen kill.

7 Kick-Ass (2010)

Roger Ebert wasn't alone in his repulse to Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass . Heck, there are some people out there, like those who went to see the midnight showing (because those were a thing at the time) during their senior year of high school, that left questioning the film's core ethical code. After all, hearing a little girl drop the "C Word" is... a lot.

What Didn't He Like?

Yet, unpleasant as it can be at first, it doesn't take long to gravitate to Kick-Ass ' level. Not to mention, with her immediate subsequent roles, Chloë Grace Moretz continued to show herself to be both an incredible talent and an old soul, so the sour taste of her language and actions in Kick-Ass is, or has become, diluted. But, even still, the character of Hit Girl rubbed Ebert the wrong way . Rent on AppleTV.

6 The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009)

The twilight saga: new moon.

The Twilight Saga never received Ebert's love, but there was only one he outright hated. And fair enough, because his main criticism was that it was stagnant more often than not. And, considering The Twilight Saga: New Moon is the only one that truly feels like a placeholder (okay, maybe Breaking Dawn Part 1 , as well), it's a criticism shared by many others. In Ebert's words, the characters in New Moon "should be arrested for loitering with intent to moan." A film without momentum is just money on a screen.

How Did He Feel About the Others?

Ebert gave the first film two-and-a-half stars out of four. His biggest gripe was that the acting wasn't always believable, but he seemed to admire the film's spirit. He was a little harsher on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse , which followed New Moon , but not as harsh as he was on that second film. He just felt that, while seeing Bella quiver and shiver in front of Edward has its appeal for fans, it was running out of steam (and there were two more flicks to go).

RELATED: New Moon Director Says Taylor Swift Tried to Get a Role in the Film

5 Pearl Harbor (2001)

War films tend to receive accolades. Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor , however, was seen as merely an excuse to put pretty people on a poster. Of course, Bay's film is a cinematic retelling of the attack on Pearl Harbor. But, even more than that (way more than that), it's desperately trying to be the love triangle version of Titanic (Rose wasn't exactly conflicted, so not a triangle).

At Least it Led to a Great Team America Joke

Ebert found Bay's film, like a few other Bay films, bloated as can be. He also figured it to be hackneyed, awkwardly-written, and "directed without grace."

In other words, he saw it as the intended moneymaker it is, not the accurate retelling of American history it should have been. What a waste of Josh Hartnett's considerable talent (and, frankly, this should have damaged Ben Affleck's career, not Hartnett's, but it absolutely did to the latter). Stream Pearl Harbor on Max.

4 See Spot Run (2001)

See Spot Run follows David Arquette's Gordon Smith, a mailman always going toe to toe with pups. When his cute neighbor's kid needs a babysitter, he leaps at the opportunity, but he's really babysitting two. The boy, and a constantly-pooping police pup who has just scurried from his witness protection situation (WITSEC for a dog? Alright).

See Ticket Buyers Run

In his one-and-a-half star review, Ebert called the unfunny comedy "desperate," "excruciating," and filled with farts. Well, fart jokes... if the term joke can actually be used for that kind of thing. Suffice it to say, Ebert felt he was too old for this, and he felt everyone else with their age in the double digits would feel much the same.

3 Thir13en Ghosts (2001)

Thirteen ghosts.

Thir13en Ghosts follows Arthur, the widowed nephew of a seemingly-deceased famous ghost hunter who is left the latter's massive mansion. A mansion that, in a way, functions as a clock...with moving pieces and all. But, not all is as it appears, and if the ghost-filled house doesn't kill Arthur Kriticos (Tony Shalhoub, looking absolutely miserable) and his family, his bloodline will.

There Are More Than Thir13en Reasons to Never Watch This

Okay, it's not that awful, it just takes a lot of big swings and doesn't really land them. But, without a doubt, there are at least two death scenes in this film that are legitimately well-crafted, unique, and memorable. But Ebert didn't even see merit in that brand of creativity, as he was more focused on just how loud and empty this ghost house actually is. To that point, he called Thir13en Ghosts "literally painful." Rent on AppleTV.

2 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

Transformers: revenge of the fallen.

The issues Ebert had with Bad Boys II he had with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen . A film laced with so much bombast it's overwhelming by the end of the first act, Revenge of the Fallen is essentially a plotless film. It just wants to entertain and, frankly, it doesn't even do that.

A Soulless Endeavor

Really, the same thing, that it seeks to entertain, could be said of the first film. And, there, the mission was accomplished. But Revenge of the Fallen , when it isn't suffering from slow stretches, is steamrolled by some seriously ignorant characterizations (e.g. Mudflap). The vast majority of the film did nothing for Ebert, which couldn't have been more accurately summarized than with his calling it "of unbearable length."

1 Wild Wild West (1999)

Wild wild west.

Will Smith was on the top of the world when Wild Wild West was released. That much is obvious, even just looking at the fact this movie didn't kill his career . But, really, this is the exact type of movie that kills careers, to the letter. Bloated, poorly written, it makes Kenneth Branagh look like a weak actor, and it was clearly built by committee. After all, the whole mechanical spider thing was supposed to be in Tim Burton's Superman Lives . It's as if the studio needed a tent pole and hoped this would be it.

"A Comedy Dead Zone"

It's astonishing Smith passed on The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West . Even if just analyzing the scripts, one works and one (even on the page) clearly does not. Ebert gave it ( Wild Wild West , not The Matrix ) a single star, citing in particular its ineffective comedic beats and the uncomfortable gelling of cyberpunk elements with the Western genre.

‘Cabaret’ Review: Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin Lead High-Style Revival That Cuts to the Bone

By Naveen Kumar

Naveen Kumar

‘Cabaret’ Review: Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin Lead High-Style Revival That Cuts to the Bone 6 days ago
‘The Wiz’ Review: In a New Broadway Revival, Dorothy and Friends Get Lost in a Hypercolor Whirligig 1 week ago
‘The Outsiders’ Review: Broadway Musical Packs Heart and Soul but Little Punch 2 weeks ago

When Eddie Redmayne ’s slithering Emcee assures the audience at “ Cabaret ” that “here, life is beautiful,” he’s telling a half-truth. The August Wilson Theater, done up like the Kit Kat Club for a bracing, high-style, Broadway revival that opened there Sunday, has indeed been transformed into a house of pleasure. Entering through an alley and into fancified, jam-packed lobby bars feels like discovering a speakeasy inside a nightclub.

Popular on Variety

Already near the end of her rope, Gayle Rankin’s coarse, determined Sally Bowles tries desperately to keep from spinning out before coming completely and furiously unraveled (the actor’s eviscerating performance of the title song is destined to become the stuff of you-had-to-see-her lore). Stripped of the delusions often associated with the expendable headliner, the Sally of Frecknall’s staging, which transfers here from London’s West End , is a raw, trembling realist only thinly disguised as a romantic.

The tender romance between Bebe Neuwirth ’s elegant and maternal Fraulein Schneider and the moony-eyed fruit seller Herr Schultz (Stephen Skybell) spins a sweet and aching emotional thread. Neuwirth’s shattering performance of “What Would You Do?” shows an indomitable woman piecing herself back together one trembling note at a time.

All that stripped-down humanity onstage — from the entrails of broken lovers to the dancers’ carnal gyrations (choreography is by Julia Cheng) — make Redmayne’s Emcee a jarring exception. An otherworldly salamander of a narrator, he hunches over, Gollum-like, gnawing on every syllable as if it were his last meal. It’s a fiercely committed performance, but a mannered one, too. For the Emcee to exist as a creature apart makes narrative sense, but Redmayne’s remoteness drains some of the force from what is otherwise a grounded, gut-punching take on a disturbingly timely story.

Of course, “Cabaret” is partly a warning about the excess and social blindness represented by pricey tickets and a sexy night out as the world burns. But it’s also a reminder to enjoy every last minute while you can.

Kit Kat Club at the August Wilson Theater; 1,070 seats; top non-premium $594. Opened April 21, 2024; reviewed April 18. Running time: 2 HOURS 45 MIN.

Production: A presentation by ATG Productions, Underbelly, Gavin Kalin Productions, Hunter Arnold, Smith & Brant Theatricals and Wessex Grove; Co-Produced by Julie Boardman, Tom Smedes, Peter Stern, Heather Shields, Caiola Productions, Kate Cannova, Aleri Entertainment, Alex Levy Productions, Bunny Rabbit Productions, Tom D'Angora & Michael D'Angora, Cyrene Esposito, David Treatman, Eddie Redmayne, The Array IV, Bad Robot Live, Grace Street Creative Group, Jim Kierstead, George Waud, Yonge Street Theatricals, Federman Koenigsberg Productions / Sara Beth Zivitz, Tina Marie Casamento / Jennifer Johns, Patty Baker / Matthew Christopher Pietras, Robyn Coles / The Cohn Sisters, Nolan Doran / Fakston Productions, Epic / Jeffrey Grove, Jessica Goldman Foung / M Kilburg Reedy, William Frisbie / Andrew Paradis, Marguerite Steed Hoffman / Willette & Manny Klausner, Iocane Productions / Tilted, Kat Kit 4 / Second Act, Vasi Laurence / Stephen C Byrd, Brian & Dayna Lee / City Cowboy Productions, Maybe This Time / 3D Productions, Nothing Ventured Productions / Catherine Schreiber & Co, Tegan Summer Theatricals / The Wolf Pack, Ilana Woldenberg / W Stage Productions and The Shubert Organization.
Crew: Directed by Rebecca Frecknall; Choreographed by Julia Cheng; Scenic and Theater Design by Tom Scutt; Costume Design by Tom Scutt; Lighting Design by Isabella Byrd; Sound Design by Nick Lidster and Autograph; Hair and Wig Design by Sam Cox; Make-Up Design by Guy Common; Musical Supervisor: Jennifer Whyte; Musical Coordinator: Kristy Norter; Conducted by Jennifer Whyte; Production Stage Manager: Thomas Recktenwald; Stage Manager: Derek Michael DiGregorio.
Cast: Gayle Rankin, Eddie Redmayne, Ato Blankson-Wood, Clifford BradshawNatascia Diaz, Henry Gottfried, Bebe Neuwirth, Steven Skybell, Alaïa, Iron Bryan, Gabi Campo, Ayla Ciccone-Burton, Colin Cunliffe, Will Ervin Jr., Sun Kim, Marty LauterVictor, Loren Lester, Deja McNair, David Merino, Julian Ramos, MiMi Scardulla, Paige Smallwood, Hannah Florence, Pedro Garza, Christian Kidd, Corinne Munsch, Chloé Nadon-Enriquez, Ida Saki, Karl Skyler Urban, and Spencer James Weidie.

More From Our Brands

Sean combs seeks to dismiss ‘revenge porn’ claims in sexual assault lawsuit, inside a $3.3 million one-bedroom condo in l.a.’s famed sierra towers, varsity, bain keep settling cheer suits as possible sale looms, be tough on dirt but gentle on your body with the best soaps for sensitive skin, tracker’s justin hartley teases what comes next after post-super bowl debut: can colter’s mom be trusted, verify it's you, please log in.

COMMENTS

21 movie review & film summary (2008)
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) attempts to beat the house in 21, which was inspired by a real-life gambling scheme. If the thrill of gambling were really about winning, there would be too few gamblers to support the multibillion-dollar Vegas gambling industry. Everybody knows that the odds are predetermined to favor the house, and that people play ...
21 Grams movie review & film summary (2003)
Advertisement. The film is by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, the almost unreasonably talented Mexican filmmaker whose "Amores Perros" (2000) was an enormous success. That film intercut three simultaneous stories, all centering on a traffic accident. "21 Grams" has three stories and a traffic accident, but the stories move back and forth in time ...
Bat*21 movie review & film summary (1988)
"BAT*21" is the kind of lean, no-nonsense war film Hollywood used to make back before the subject became burdened with metaphysical insights. It's the story of a middle-aged Air Force colonel's attempt to survive behind enemy lines, where he has no business being in the first place, and about how a stubborn spotter pilot returns time and again in a light aircraft to keep his spirits up ...
21 Jump Street movie review & film summary (2012)
Here's the last movie I was expecting with this title. In other words, "21 Jump Street" is pretty good. There seemed to be little demand for a movie spinoff of the crime drama that ran on Fox from 1987 to 1991, and which had an early starring role for Johnny Depp. Perhaps realizing that, the filmmakers have abandoned any pretense of being faithful to the series, and turned to a mashup of ...
21 Bridges movie review & film summary (2019)
Powered by JustWatch. "21 Bridges" begins with the funeral of a cop, a uniformed officer who took out three of the men who shot at him before falling. That cop's young son is there, and he'll grow up to be the police detective André Davis, played by Chadwick Boseman, on whose shoulders this movie's narrative will roll.
21 (2008)
21: Directed by Robert Luketic. With Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yoo. Inspired by real events and people, 21 is about six MIT students who become trained to be experts in card counting in Black Jack and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings.
Movie reviews and ratings by Film Critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert.com is the ultimate destination for movie lovers, featuring reviews and ratings by the legendary film critic Roger Ebert and his colleagues. Discover the best films of all genres, eras, and countries, and learn more about the art and craft of cinema.
21 Movie Review
Our review: Parents say ( 8 ): Kids say ( 12 ): Slick, stylish, and mostly seductive, 21 -- based on Ben Mezrich's nonfiction book Bringing Down the House about MIT student Jeff Ma -- is a treat despite some clunky dialogue and clichéd setups. Just one example: On his 21st birthday, Ben's mother beseeches him to have fun; "You only turn 21 ...
21
21, Chapter 27, Flawless, Stop-Loss, Run Fatboy Run - 2008 October 9, 2022 October 9, 2022 firstmagnitude 1902 Views 1 Comment 21 , Alvin and the Chipmunks , Chapter 27 , Flawless , In Bruges , Resurrecting The Champ , Run Fatboy Run , Snow Angels , Stop-Loss , Sweeney Todd , The Good Night , What Love Is
21 Movie Review And Film Summary(2008)
21 is a 2008 American heist drama film directed by Robert Luketic and starring Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Aaron Yoo, and Kieu Chinh. The film is inspired by the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team as told in Bringing Down the House, the best-selling book by Ben Mezrich.
Dune movie review & film summary (2021)
As a pretentious teenager in the 1970s, I didn't read much sci-fi, even countercultural sci-fi, so Dune missed me.When David Lynch's 1984 film of the novel, backed by then mega-producer Dino De Laurentiis, came out I didn't read it either.As a pretentious twentysomething film buff, not yet professional grade, the only thing that mattered to me was that it was a Lynch picture.
21 Jump Street critic reviews
Los Angeles Times. Mar 16, 2012. Miller and Lord clearly understand the push-and-pull and hyper-competitiveness that make guy friendships both complex and stupid. That it comes to life so fully in 21 Jump Street is what gives the film an endearing, punch-you-in-the-arm-because-I-like-you-man charm. Read More.
Roger Ebert Movie Reviews & Previews
Read Movie and TV reviews from Roger Ebert on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics reviews are aggregated to tally a Certified Fresh, Fresh or Rotten Tomatometer score. ... Read More | Posted Dec 21 ...
Roger Ebert's Final List of His Top 10 Favorite Films
Roger Ebert seems to have resented star ratings, which he had to dish out atop each and every one of his hundreds upon hundreds of regular newspaper movie reviews. He also emphasized, every once in a while, his disdain for the "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" system that became his and Gene Siskel's television ...
Roger Ebert's Top 20 Best- and Worst-Reviewed Films
Roger Ebert called Stanley Kubrick 's 2001: A Space Odyssey, "a great visionary leap, unsurpassed in its vision of man and the universe. It was a statement that came at a time which now looks ...
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (/ ˈ iː b ər t / EE-burt; June 18, 1942 - April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter, and author.He was a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. Ebert was known for his intimate, Midwestern writing style and critical views informed by values of populism and humanism.
‎Roger (Ebert) & Me: Movie Reviews on Apple Podcasts
On this week's 'Roger (Ebert) & Me,' an imitation 'Siskel & Ebert' movie review show, film critics Brett Arnold of The New Flesh & Mark Dujsik of markreviewsmovies.com are putting up double digits, tackling TEN (10) new release movies out in theaters and streaming the week of Friday March 22nd 2024 (03/22/2024). ... 21 Knox Goes Away 33:04 ...
10 Best Movies of All Time, According to Roger Ebert
Ali Teske (182 Articles Published) The Office The Silence of the Lambs. According to iconic film critic Roger Ebert, movies like Casablanca, Raging Bull, and Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious are among ...
How Roger Ebert's Last Movie Review Is the Perfect End to His Career
Published Apr 21, 2023. ... After blessing audiences around the world with thousands of brilliantly reasoned film reviews, Roger Ebert wrote his last one before succumbing to cancer in 2013.
Roger Ebert's last movie review was a thumbs-up
By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper. Fittingly, Roger Ebert's last movie review was of a film he thoroughly enjoyed. The esteemed critic died Thursday at age 70, and his longtime employer, the Chicago Sun ...
Omen movie review & film summary (2024)
The surreal is in living breathing form in "Omen," and the magical realism is aptly bewitching. What remains consistent is the film's base commitment to the motif of life substances: blood, milk, and water; corruption, subsistence, and redemption. "Omen" is a visually enthralling piece of magical realism proposing ideas on pariahs ...
Roger Ebert's 20 Most Scathing Movie Reviews
Roger's Rating - .5/4 Stars. It's pretty easy to pinpoint what Battle: Los Angeles wanted to be, even if it's harder to pinpoint just why it fails in every regard. It wants to be Black Hawk Down ...
'Cabaret' Review: Eddie Redmayne Stars on Broadway
'Cabaret' Review: Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin Lead High-Style Revival That Cuts to the Bone Kit Kat Club at the August Wilson Theater; 1,070 seats; top non-premium $594. Opened April 21 ...