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Monday
21Jul2008

Ebert and Roeper No Longer 'At the Movies'

DateMonday, July 21, 2008 at 1:01PM
A television and film institution is shutting its doors. Richard Roeper - admittedly the lesser part of the equation - has announced that At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper is dunzo.

"Several months ago, Disney offered to extend my contract, which expires at the conclusion of the 2007-08 season," said Roeper, who joined the show in 2000, a year after the death of Gene Siskel. "I opted to wait. Much transpired after that behind the scenes, but an agreement was never reached, and we are all moving on."

By "we are all moving on," Roeper means himself, Disney, and Roger Ebert. According to the world's best movie critic (not Roeper), The House of Mouse is moving the show in a different direction and neither Ebert or his colleague will by a part of it.

Have heart, though: "The thumbs will return," said Ebert in a statement. "We are discussing possibilities, and plan to continue the show's tradition." While Ebert has been sidelined for the past two years with medical issues that have robbed him of his speaking voice, Roeper has brought in a series of guest hosts and critics. Without Ebert, of course, the show would obviously suffer. There's not a smarter or more experienced writer about this subject than Ebert, and he's one of the very few critics who can love popcorn movies as much as art flicks and tell you why each one is superior to its competition in enlightening, direct, and entertaining ways. Roeper...not so much.

I would like to see Roeper go his own way, and hopefully, if Ebert can one day return to the on-air balcony, he can do so in a way that embraces the legacy of the original program and find a way to keep it moving forward. The show, which began as At the Movies and later became Siskel & Ebert & the Movies, debuted in 1982 after Siskel and Ebert had paired up on the PBS show Sneak Previews.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment4 Comments |

Reader Comments (4)

Thanks for the update. I grew up with the show and Ebert has been the single biggest influence on my passion for cinema and development as a film critic. Basically, the show was my first film school! You're so right-- it was never the same without him and actually before Ebert became ill, it just didn't have the same energy after the insightful and bright Gene Siskel passed away as well. I still remember some of their great fights over movies like The Crying Game, Blue Velvet, etc. Loved the way they always respected and admired one another while carrying such witty banter.

Monday, July 21, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterJen

It is truly the end of an era...

Monday, July 21, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterWill

While I only watched the show occasionally, I have always been a fan of Roeper's Sun-Times column. Maybe this wasn't his best work, but he's still an entertaining writer.

Monday, July 21, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterKevin

I really hope they keep the show's tradition going. I'm glad Ebert is back to writing his column. Hopefully we will see him back on the air as well. He brings a combination of intelligence and entertainment that is hard to find.

Monday, July 21, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterMichael

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