Line #21 YMMV/SiskelAndEbert


1	* ArchivePanic: Considering the show ran from 1975 through 2010, with a new episode nearly every week, there's a lot to catch up on.
2	* AudienceAlienatingEra: The "Two Bens" era of ''At the Movies'' is widely considered the low-point of the show's history, being set up to revise the show for a younger audience following the departure of Roeper as host and Ebert as producer, but falling tremendously flat. [[ReplacementScrappy Not only was the chemistry between Ben Mankiewicz and Ben Lyons nowhere near as interesting as that of their predecessors]], as well as there being more extraneous gimmicks like interviews and opening nights, much criticism was levied specifically against Ben Lyons, [[QuestionableCasting who was not a film critic and demonstrated a lack of knowledge in the field]], making the show feel disingenuous and out of touch (Lyons was primarily a celebrity news reporter, with many seeing him getting chummy with popular actors and doling out positive quotes that were transparently meant for use in movie promotions being moves to increase his own profile despite being a massive conflict of interests). Ratings plummeted during their tenure, and while the two were booted after one season and replaced with the better-received A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips, the damage was already done and the ratings stayed where they were, leading to the show getting the axe.
3	* CommonKnowledge: In their review of ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerryTheMovie'', Roger criticized the characterizations in the film, saying that the basic premise of classic ''Tom & Jerry'' shorts is that Tom wants to eat Jerry. This is more accurate of the ''WesternAnimation/SylvesterTheCatAndTweetyBird'' shorts; in most ''Tom and Jerry'' shorts, their relationship is more one of sparring partners- always one-upping another, getting immediate revenge, and fighting over a common goal.
4	* CriticalDissonance: [[CriticalDissonance/SiskelAndEbert Now has its own page.]]
5	* EnsembleDarkhorse: Of the guest hosts following Ebert's departure, A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips seemed to live up to this trope well enough (to the point where they ended up serving as the permanent hosts in the year after Ben Lyons and Mankiewicz departed).
6	* EvenBetterSequel: In the eyes of a handful, Roeper's reviews with guest critics (''especially'' A.O. Scott and eventual regular Michael Phillips) produced some great camaraderie that may have surpassed his chemistry with Ebert. One could attribute this to the notion that Roeper's energy complemented critics around his age group more than Ebert (who was roughly 20 years his senior).
7	* FirstInstallmentWins: No matter the performance of the new reviewers, the original show with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert is the version everyone remembers.
8	* GatewaySeries: This series encouraged at least a few viewers to try films they otherwise would have ignored like [[{{Documentary}} documentaries]] and foreign language films.
9	** One episode, "That's Not All, Folks!", had an entire segment devoted to {{Anime}}. It might have piqued viewers' interests in Japan's output of animated movies.
10	* GrowingTheBeard:
11	** A case ironically highlighted by Gene ''shaving'' his mustache. The first episodes of ''Sneak Previews'' (then called ''Opening Soon...at a Theater Near You'') were very dry and the duo seemed uncomfortable on camera, with deadpan and stilted deliveries (which was a little odd, since they both came into the show with TV experience: Siskel doing weekly reviews on a local newscast, Ebert hosting airings of Creator/IngmarBergman films on the local PBS affiliate). Things quickly improved, and by the time the early '80s arrived, the duo had found a groove and their disagreements got more entertaining.
12	** The Buena Vista series brought a number of improvements, such as a slicker presentation, more movies reviewed per episode (typically five, instead of the previous two series' four), and abandoning the gimmicks (the skunk and dog, signfiying the stinkers of the week). Plus the "Memo to the Academy" special episodes began here, which reinforced their status as influential critics.
13	** After a slew of guest hosts throughout the 1999-2000 season, things improved quite a bit when Richard Roeper officially took over as co-host. While he and Roger's chemistry wasn't ''quite'' to the level of Roger and Gene's, it was close.
14	* HarsherInHindsight:
15	** In their discussion of ''Film/TaxiDriver'', Ebert says that the violence of Travis Bickle is a commentary on "the kind of violence that we've seen in America, in assassins and snipers and so forth." A few years later, not only did Mark David Chapman's murder of Music/JohnLennon have some echoes of the character, but the next high profile political assassination attempt came in 1981, when John Hinckley shot UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan, then it was revealed that Hinckley had become fixated with ''Taxi Driver'', and his motive for the shooting was rooted in an obsession with Creator/JodieFoster ignited by her performance in the film.
16	** In the "Hollywood's Fear of Love" episode, the duo hypothesized why so many movies about the future are negative and dystopian: They thought it had to do with the fear of the year 2000, and once we get past that, humanity would breathe a sigh of relief. Yeah, that didn't happen, considering there are doomsday predictions practically every other week, and movies about the future are ''still'' predominantly dystopian.
17	** One of Ebert's main criticisms towards ''Film/DieHard'' was its depiction of the Los Angeles Police Department as a bunch of bumbling idiots, to the point where he knocked it as bad writing. As the rest of the country learned in TheNineties after the Rodney King beating, its fumbling of the UsefulNotes/OJSimpson trial, and the Rampart scandal, the LAPD really was that corrupt and incompetent back then.
18	** In his scathing review of ''Film/LeonardPart6'', Ebert calls out the ProductPlacement for Coca-Cola in the film and says that Creator/BillCosby ought to be ashamed of himself for [[SellOut selling out]] like this despite being the richest man in show biz. Oh, that's the least of his sins.
19	** Either this or HilariousInHindsight depending on your views: in his review of ''Film/LordOfTheFlies (1990)'', Gene was offended that they would make a movie remake 27 years after the original, viewing it as despicable cynicism. Unfortunately, the remake trend only became more frequent.
20	** During their review of ''Film/ThePinkPanther2006'', Roger noted how Hollywood was going through a season of remakes, followed by a disgusted "ugh!" from Richard. They had no idea how much ''more'' prevalent this would become in the [=2010s=] and beyond.
21	* HilariousInHindsight:
22	** For one of the holiday gift guide episodes, Siskel & Ebert had to demonstrate the ill-fated and unresponsive Activator peripheral for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis. [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HcBeEsuAV3M&t=1m45s Watching them flail around trying to use it]] on national syndicated TV could make it easier to understand why Ebert was never fond of the medium.
23	** When the duo reviewed ''Film/{{Bean}}'', Ebert gave it a marginal thumbs down. Siskel gave it a thumbs up and pressed him: "You really wouldn't recommend this picture?" Ebert replied, "I'd tell people to wait until it comes out on video, something like that." Siskel said that he never makes that distinction and furthermore doesn't understand the distinction; Ebert replied that going to movies requires leaving the house. Siskel thought that argument made no sense, since you'd have to leave the house to rent a movie as well. Of course, nowadays it's very easy to stay home and rent a movie on iTunes or Netflix, and is much cheaper than going to the movies. [[note]]Back then, you could also wait until the movie showed up on TV (broadcast or pay-per-view), but there was no guarantee that any given movie would play there at all (especially if it was an obscure flop), let alone at a time where you could watch it or have an opportunity to set the VCR or DVR to record it.[[/note]]
24	** When they reviewed ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'', Siskel didn't care for Creator/TimothyDalton as Bond, and thought Creator/PierceBrosnan (who had just finished ''Series/RemingtonSteele'') would've been a better choice for the role. Ironically, when ''Film/GoldenEye'' came out, Siskel didn't like Brosnan's portrayal despite praising him eight years earlier.
25	** Ebert gave a thumbs down to ''Film/StarTrekNemesis'', claiming the series had run out of gas. He suggested that the series start fresh, with a new cast and a new look. Not only was ''Nemesis'' the final ''Star Trek'' movie with the ''Next Generation'' cast, but in 2009 the series [[Film/StarTrek2009 DID get rebooted.]] Unfortunately, Ebert didn't quite recommend that one either[[note]]in his written review, he gave it 2.5 stars, which generally meant "not recommended, but just barely - if you're a fan of the genre/subject matter, it would be a "barely recommended""[[/note]].
26	** In Ebert and Roeper's review of ''Film/CabinFever'', Roeper says, "''Cabin Fever'' is also yet another film that picks on a group that's always maligned in the movies: The inbred, white trash, overall-wearing mountain man. Ever since ''Film/{{Deliverance}}'', these guys just can't catch a break. Aren't there any kindly and insightful inbred mountain men?" [[Film/TuckerAndDaleVsEvil Why yes, there are.]]
27	** While praising ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Ebert said that "''Franchise/StarWars'' is the kind of film that Disney used to make and the kind that they should be making". In 2012, Disney bought ''Star Wars''.
28	** In their review of ''Film/{{Sleepers}}'', Siskel accused Ebert of being too soft on the film and said that his thumbs up despite his criticisms to be "the polite, three-star review that I think is the death of film criticism". Ironically, [[https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2013/01/two-thumbs-down-how-gene-siskel-roger/ an article written in 2013]] argued that Siskel and Ebert's binary method of reviewing movies dumbed down film criticism.
29	** The duo gave a big thumbs down to ''Film/AceVenturaPetDetective'', and it also made their "worst of 1994" list. So it's amusing that only four years later, they devoted an entire episode to Creator/JimCarrey; while they didn't change their thumbs down vote for the first ''Ace'', they analyzed why he's gotten so much work and admitted he's done much better films since then (his most recent film at that point was the critically-acclaimed ''Film/TheTrumanShow'').
30	** When reviewing ''WesternAnimation/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'', Siskel wondered why Disney hadn't released the film to theaters, claiming Disney probably thought it would do better financially on video. Ebert corrected him to say that Disney doesn't release animated sequels in theaters as a matter of studio policy. Yeah, obviously [[WesternAnimation/RalphBreaksTheInternet that rule no longer applies]].
31	** When reviewing the 1986 film ''Film/DownByLaw'', Roger mentions that he liked the wacky Italian character, played by "some guy named Creator/RobertoBenigni", and didn't know where he came from or if he'll ever work again. Yes, he has.
32	** In their Best of 1987 show, Gene found it extremely difficult to narrow it down to just ten best films of the year, complaining why they couldn't do a top 11 instead. A couple decades later, ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'' did just that on a regular basis.
33	** In 1987, Ebert described what we now know as video streaming:
34	-->"We will have high-definition, wide-screen television sets and a push-button dialing system to order the movie you want at the time you want it."
35	** Mixed with HeartwarmingInHindsight, while reviewing ''Film/AChristmasStory'' they're both very worried that such a fantastic movie might be completely ignored at the box office and forgotten (it wasn't, but it wasn't a big success either). It would go on to become ''the'' classic beloved Christmas staple complete with 24 hour marathons in December.
36	** In their "Worst Movies of the Summer" episode from 1985, while reviewing ''Film/TheManWithOneRedShoe'', Gene called Creator/TomHanks a "second rate Creator/BillMurray". Highly amusing considering how beloved Hanks has become, even only a few years after this episode.
37	** In their review of ''The Mighty Quinn'', Gene said Creator/DenzelWashington is "not a big name". At the time, this was accurate, but such a statement is amusing today considering how famous he's gotten since then.
38	** An episode from the year 2000 had a segment about streaming full movies over the internet. All three (Roger, Richard and internet correspondent Michaela Pereira) agreed that until bandwidth gets better, this was little more than a novelty. That may have been true at the time when many people were still on 56k modems and DSL, but now that streaming is the dominant form of viewing movies, and internet speeds have increased exponentially since then, such arguments are quite funny to hear in hindsight.
39	** The duo were usually pretty good about predicting the Oscar winners, but they were way off in 1995 when they both thought either ''Film/Apollo13'' or ''Film/IlPostino'' would win Best Picture - it ended up going to ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'' instead.
40	** During their 1988 Oscars show, Siskel asserted that Anthony Hopkins was the only actor who could portray Hannibal Lecter, prompting Ebert to agree by stating that someone named Creator/BrianCox had [[Film/{{Manhunter}} already done it]], and no one knew who he was.
41	* JustHereForGodzilla: More than a few viewers regularly watched the show just to see Siskel and Ebert argue. Which is funny because they actually often agreed with each other more often than not.
42	--> '''Ebert:''' Some people thought he fought all the time; actually, we ''agreed'' most of the time. A lot of movies were clearly good or clearly bad, leaving only the ones in the middle to argue about.
43	** Invoked when the duo reviewed ''Film/{{Cliffhanger}}'': Ebert admitted that he liked the movie purely for its special effects and stunt sequences, even though the story wasn't anything special. Siskel called him on it, claiming that a strong story is ''always'' important, even in action movies.
44	** Gene would occasionally give a movie a thumbs up purely because of one actor, saying the movie was worth watching just for them even if the rest was below par. See: ''Film/AFewGoodMen'', where he gave it a marginal thumbs up solely because of Tom Cruise's performance even though he thought the film had no major surprises.
45	** Some people watch the ''Ebert & Roeper'' episodes from 2000 to early 2006 just for Roger Ebert's insights.
46	* MisBlamed: Lots of fans of the show (and Ebert himself) believed that Ben Mankiewicz had been given a raw deal to be paired up with Ben Lyons, and should be remembered for trying his darndest to salvage the show from the mess the execs and Lyons were making.
47	* NeverLiveItDown: Ebert giving a thumbs-up to ''Film/CopAndAHalf'' was brought up repeatedly by Siskel in later years when he wanted to cast doubt on Roger's judgment (Ebert would still defend that review, though).
48	* ParodyDisplacement: Roger Ebert’s [[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/north-1994 thrashing]] of ''Film/{{North}}'' ("I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it.") is probably more well-known than the movie itself.
49	* RetroactiveRecognition: Dave Karger, who was then a senior editor for ''Entertainment Weekly'' and a frequent guest on ''Series/{{Today}}'', served as a guest host in the summer of 2007. Karger would go on to become one of the current hosts for Creator/TurnerClassicMovies.

Context YMMV / SiskelAndEbert