Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel are a famous pair of film critics who often pᴀssionately disagreed with each other’s movie reviews. Both critics gained attention for their writing in their respective Chicago newspapers, but found stardom after they began co-hosting the movie review TV show At the Movies, originally known as Siskel & Ebert & the Movies.

Ebert and Siskel famously reviewed and recommended movies with a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” system. Whether it was written or discussed on their shared TV series, the critics’ reviews were often well-informed and earnest. Ebert and Siskel’s reviews were marked by an intense pᴀssion and appreciation for movies, which regularly led to heated debates and disagreements between the two.

10

Benji The Hunted (1987)

To those familiar with Benji the Hunted, it may be surprising to learn that such a film could lead to a fiery debate between Ebert and Siskel. Neither critic was truly impressed with Benji the Hunted, but it was only Siskel who gave the film a “thumbs down” rating, saying it wasn’t a film he could recommend to audiences.

Ebert appreciated the light suspense throughout the film and saw Benji the Hunted as a suitable movie for young audiences. In one of the critics’ more famous disagreements on their TV show, things got heated after Siskel pointed out the irony of Ebert’s positive review of Benji the Hunted in comparison to his negative review of Full Metal Jacket.

9

Rocky IV (1985)

Rocky IV isn’t the best film in the Rocky franchise, but it’s entertaining and has enough memorable elements to earn a positive review from Siskel. When talking about Rocky IV, Siskel admitted that, though the film was largely predictable, he couldn’t help but get caught up in the excitement of the fighting scenes.

Siskel also acknowledged the Rocky films’ ability to create compelling villains, praising Dolph Lundgren’s performance as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. However, in Ebert’s opinion, Rocky IV was merely evidence that the Rocky franchise was “finally losing its legs,” with the formulaic setup of Rocky IV leaving the film feeling uninspired.

8

The Cable Guy (1996)

Jim Carrey is best known for his physical, over-the-top comedy style, providing audiences with plenty of laughter during his breakthrough in the ’90s. However, Carrey took on a noticeably darker role in Ben Stiller’s The Cable Guy. The slight shift in Carrey’s on-screen persona left audiences and several critics mixed, including Ebert and Siskel.

Ebert found Carrey’s character to be bothersome and his disturbing behavior to be more creepy than necessary. In contrast, Siskel praised The Cable Guy for being “very, very funny.” Siskel positively noted that The Cable Guy had a bit more of a serious tone to it compared to Carrey’s previous work, and claimed it was the actor’s best since The Mask.

7

Dirty Dancing (1987)

Dirty Dancing is an iconic ’80s dance movie that spawned a large franchise made up of TV series, compeтιтion shows, and a stage production. The movie is led by Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, and while Siskel and Ebert agreed that Dirty Dancing was predictable and full of clichés, the former was much more approving.

Ebert didn’t consider Dirty Dancing to have many redeeming qualities to make up for its formulaic story, but Siskel appreciated Grey’s performance. In addition to the dancing, which both critics agreed was delightful, Siskel was pleased to see Grey awarded strong character development throughout the film.

6

Scarface (1983)

Despite initial criticisms of its extreme violence and graphic depiction of drug use, Scarface has become a celebrated gangster movie. Between Siskel and Ebert, it was the latter who responded positively to the film. In his review of Scarface, Ebert applauded Brian De Palma and screenwriter Oliver Stone for their ability to create realistic and compelling characters.

Furthermore, Ebert took notice of Scarface‘s violence and how it avoided being exploitative. Siskel felt differently, stating, “I didn’t like the movie at all.” However, Siskel did find Scarface‘s shootout sequences to be the film’s best feature, complimenting the choreography of the scenes and their realistic quality.

5

Blue Velvet (1986)

Both Siskel and Ebert praised David Lynch as a director in their review of Blue Velvet. The critics’ positive sentiments highlighted Lynch’s talent for encouraging audiences to think and come up with their own meaning for his films. Siskel listed Blue Velvet as one of the best films of the year, and he commended the movie for its engrossing qualities.

On the other hand, Ebert had an issue with the making of Blue Velvet itself. Though he applauded Lynch’s talent, Ebert didn’t appreciate how the film treated its actors, particularly Isabella Rossellini. Ebert found Rossellini to be “humiliated” in her role, noting that the Sєxual nature of her scenes was unjustifiable and didn’t work with the rest of the film.

4

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick, Full Metal Jacket is a unique war movie that is split into two parts as a means to emphasize the brutal transformation of soldiers during times of conflict. In their reviews, both Ebert and Siskel took notice of Full Metal Jacket‘s cinematography, praising the overall look of the film.

However, this is where Ebert’s admiration for Full Metal Jacket ends. Ebert compared it negatively to films like Platoon and Apocalypse Now. To Ebert, Kubrick’s film was fine, but far from original, and relied too heavily on cliché war movie action sequences. Siskel disagreed and singled out a particular character’s death as being more effective than those in any other war movie.

3

The Big Lebowski (1998)

The initial critical response to The Big Lebowski at the time of its release wasn’t overwhelmingly positive, and time has certainly been kind to the Coen brothers’ crime comedy. Now dubbed a cult film, The Big Lebowski is praised for its bizarre plot and Jeff Bridges’ performance as “The Dude.”

Between Siskel and Ebert, the latter was more welcoming of the film. Ebert noted Bridges’ character had a lot of heart, and stated that what made The Big Lebowski’s humor work was the tossing of its incompetent characters into a complex kidnapping mystery. Siskel was less enthusiastic, claiming the film’s narrative was too cliché, and its humor was uninspired.

2

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)

With just 16 minutes of screentime in The Silence of the Lambs, Anthony Hopkins made Hannibal Lecter one of the best movie villains of all time. Hopkins has one of the shortest Oscar-winning performances as Hannibal Lecter, and his shared time on screen with Jodie Foster is what Ebert found to be the most effective part of the film.

Ebert enjoyed the tension between Hopkins and Foster’s characters and praised both actors for their exceptional performances. Disagreeing with Ebert, Siskel found Foster to be just “decent” in her role. Siskel also criticized the exaggerated, villainous atmosphere that surrounded Hannibal Lecter, particularly the dramatic score, which he found to be overkill at times.

1

Unforgiven (1992)

Largely responsible for the resurgence of the Western genre in the ’90s, Unforgiven would go on to become the third Western film to win an Oscar for Best Picture. Unforgiven is considered one of Clint Eastwood’s best Westerns, where the actor not only stars as a retired outlaw, but he also directed and produced the film.

Both Siskel and Ebert’s initial response to Unforgiven was mixed. The critics found issue with what they felt was a shapeless narrative and the inclusion of far too many supporting characters, which they said were ultimately unnecessary. However, it was only Ebert who came around to Unforgiven in the end, adding it to his famous “The Great Movies” list.