Siskel and Ebert The Biggest Arguments

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#SiskelandEbert has had many reviews from the good and the bad but on occation there would be the big disagreements and massive arguements, some strange, some justified and others...well...you'll see...I even included a review of one my all time favourite films, Bram Stoker's Dracula only because I couldn't find the full version of Baby's Day Out which is one I wanted in this compilation. Ah well! Here's the biggest arguemnts compilation!

[@casesoutherland4175]

Siskel was right on Starship Troopers!

[@BruceLee-t9n]

Siskel &Ebert weren't always Right. They even admitted that fact themselves

[@jameswilliams-zr8co]

no, starship troopers was disturbing and dull

[@bobthebear1246]

Yeah, that was one of those rare times when Roger got it really wrong. I've seen *Starship Troopers* at least 7 times and I fucking love that film. Absolutely love it. Roger was definitely wrong there, almost as wrong as he was about *The Usual Suspects* although at least he eventually admitted that he was probably wrong about it after everyone basically tore him to shreds over it. I loved and still love Roger Ebert, but he was way off there on those two films and on several others.

[@danielberg7644]

@@bobthebear1246 they both loved Popeye! Popeye! One of the worst movies ever made.

[@jamesvolpe3581]

Siskel was so wrong on Silence Of the lambs!

[@lorisrizzardo4262]

I’m usually a Roger guy, but damn I agreed with almost everything Siskel said here. Roger had a real blind spot for children’s movies. The only one Siskel got wrong was Silence of the Lambs - that’s a classic.

[@Vanirvis]

You didn’t like “Alaska?”

[@alexanderdickens2517]

Roger was more consistent overall, which is part of what makes his gaffs far more entertaining. His gripes tended to be predicated on one specific, neurotic thing, whereas Gene's pans of good movies were often just "I didn't buy it." Way less to pick on there.

[@darwinblinks]

I thought SotL was lame.

[@sokratissuckacockalus2408]

Wow really? Why? ​@@darwinblinks

[@chonconnor6144]

Childhood is agreeing with Roger most of the time but adulthood is realizing Gene was the real critic.

[@Ghosthead83]

How in the hell do you like home alone 3 better than the first? Yikes.

[@henn863]

Roger's main complaint with the first one is that there was too much violent slapstick at the end of the film. It seems like that's all the third one is

[@colten53]

It’s not so much his opinion but the consistency is what I find strange. I personally don’t mind Home Alone 3. It’s fine for what it is, but I also liked the first two. Ebert didn’t like the first two and loved the third one for all the same reasons he hated the original even though the first objectively has more heart and better writing. Siskel was at least consistent in that he didn’t like any of those movies

[@darwinblinks]

They're all terrible.

[@chonconnor6144]

"Generic mop-top" was as hilarious as it was accurate. Home alone 3....what a stinker.

[@vigilante8374]

@@stonegasman3866 Home Alone 2 is much more rewatchable than #1 even though it's obviously derivative because it doesn't make you slog through so much overwrought concerned mother stuff every time. Also, Tim Curry.

[@austinacl02]

17:40 The timing of Siskel's "WHAT!?" was gold😂

[@danorthsidemang3834]

Not as great as Gene's classic "WWOOWWW" after Rog finished singing the praises of Norman D. Golden III and Cop and a Half.

[@BruceLee-t9n]

Lol😂 I like how Roger never forgets what movies Gene loves or hates 😂

[@colten53]

It’s basically the only reason anyone remembers Benji The Hunted or even North

[@BruceLee-t9n]

@@colten53 I got tricked into seeing Benji The Hunted by my best friend's mom. She told us we're going to see Arnold's Predator but instead took us to some boring dog movie. I never forgave her for that. Me & my friend found a way to see the movie we really wanted to see the next day. We were in our early teens so we had to figure out a way to see an R rated movie. Even though Predator is purely action with sprinkles of violence. Not adult stuff. I think for non-adult themed movies that has action/violence, there should be a lower movie grade.

[@bobthebear1246]

​@@BruceLee-t9n Yeah it's called PG-13, it already exists, and let me tell you something: I've seen *Predator.* It was a stupid *Alien* knockoff that never made much sense to begin with, the acting was awful (except for that of Jesse "The Body" Ventura, who pulled-in a supreme performance. I've never seen *Benji The Hunted,* but I can tell you you really didn't miss much with *Predator* and you really owe your mom an apology for how much of a dick you were to her about it.

[@thedarksiderebel]

Gene's expression when Roger said the kid in Home Alone 3 was better than Culkin was priceless. Was Roger high on that episode??

[@richardenglish2195]

"And by the rude and annoying off-screen noises you've been emitting I take it you do not agree." God, I love it when these two go at each other. And Gene's broad grin when we cut to him at this moment is just priceless.

[@kurtisschilk1218]

I love they can argue their points without being disrespectful

[@WorkaholicB1]

having class in hollywood has become a lost art.

[@AndrewAnstrom]

Gene was crazy wrong on silence of the lambs... he was right on almost every other argument.

[@AndI0td763]

He wasn’t “wrong” it was his opinion.

[@codylamp6814]

The fact that you have to put a “ cop and a half note” on the intro card is absolutely hilarious

[@ConnerNielsen6]

The look on Gene’s faces when Roger is praising Home Alone 3 is one of the best moments from the show.

[@MiketheratguyMultimedia]

At 23:02 Ebert decides that he can no longer abide Siskel's divergent tone and appears ready to do whatever it takes - including engage in physical combat if need be - to uphold the honor of a children's adventure film that inexplicably seems to have triggered his most protective human instincts.The smile is off, the gloves are on.

[@isaacgraham5727]

Interestingly that children’s adventure film (Alaska) was directed by Charlton Heston’s son, and Charlton Heston himself plays the father. While the two kids are played by Vincent Kartheiser (who would play Pete Campbell on Mad Men) and Thora Birch (who became an indie darling several years later for American Beauty and Ghost World among other films). Quite a cast for a random kiddie adventure flick.

[@pronkb000]

Their debate over David Cronenberg's Crash is a good one, too. And Full Metal Jacket, which takes place right before Benji the Hunted. When Ebert gave a thumbs-down to FMJ and a thumbs-up to Benji, Siskel looked like he was about to leap out of his chair and strangle him.

[@hmdwgf]

That particular episode they got really, really angry with each other- at one point during the Benji the Hunted episode Ebert snapped at Siskel and told him that he should be ashamed of himself!

[@bobbio100]

I think Siskel was largely ahead of Ebert on a lot of these takes. He was taken from the earth too soon :(

[@hansjuker8296]

I can't believe you mentioned Siskel being "largely ahead" when the man died from a brain tumor.

[@jimmuzzi1072]

Roger left too soon, too.

[@WheresPoochie]

Would have loved to have seen Gene take Roger to town over his Phantom Menace phrase.

[@danielmaher7108]

They were both taken too soon. I would watch their show every week. I miss them very much.

[@oppothumbs1]

@@jimmuzzi1072 Siskel left us largely ahead, and Roger left with too little head and face saved! Siskel and Ebert tastes are not to my liking, but Siskel reasons better, despite Ebert's apparent erudition and his many Nobel and Pulitzer prizes. Ebert believed that movies could inspire empathy and help people understand others' hopes, dreams, and fears. This bias automatically leaves the cold-hearted Siskel in front. :)

[@MFH916]

Siskel didn't like Silence of the Lambs. To me, that disqualifies him to be a movie reviewer. He also hated Beverly Hills Cop, Terminator, and Unforgiven. If Siskel and Ebert disagreed, I always went with Ebert's review. Ebert was much better at this job.

[@jesperschultz2727]

This is why Siskel & Ebert were in a class of their own. They had no problems fightning each other verbally and still respect each other all the time, moving from one review to the next. They were always ready to go into the unscripted battles with each their armour of arguments. There's no wrong or right no matter what each of us thinks, but you are allowed to stand up for your opinion!

[@juniorjames7076]

Well....Gene has later admitted in interviews that actually they could go for weeks without talking to each other if they had a really bad argument over a film. Roger has said on (Charlie Rose?) that sometime you DO take it personal when someone clashes with your intellectual judgement on an artform. It's human.

[@Dan-y6l3k]

Gene Siskel 👎 • Benji: The Hunted • Home Alone 3 • Beverly Hills Cop II • Curly Sue • Alaska • Silence of the Lambs (Siskel makes some compelling comments) • Bram Stoker’s Dracula Roger Ebert 👎 • Starship Troopers • Eddie Murphy: Raw • Dirty Dancing • Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy • Career Opportunities • Blue Velvet Roger Ebert barely recommended Silence of the Lambs - so the shock of Gene Siskel trashing the film doesn’t land as strongly as it would have if Ebert fully endorsed the film. Using just the examples in this video, I have to give the edge to Gene Siskel having the better taste and judgement in his criticism. Roger Ebert shits the bed too many times to be declared the victor.

[@themagnificentmrmcgee]

If I recall, Ebert admitted before that he was more lenient to films than Siskel who was more strict and especially when it came to family films, held them to high regard. Ebert often tried to judge things from an audience perspective rather a critic’s. That said I do disagree with Siskel on Silence of the Lambs and Dracula, meanwhile I disagree with Ebert on Starship Troopers. The other films I haven’t seen so can’t make an opinion

[@captainpungent]

@@themagnificentmrmcgee Ebert's pearl clutching with Blue Velvet was a pretty significant bad take.

[@themagnificentmrmcgee]

Oh I agree, never seen the film myself but Ebert’s response was pretty bad. Then again he has said before he’s not into the “icky” stuff, it’s a reason he was against movies like The Thing for example

[@Dan-y6l3k]

Gene Siskel gave a 👎 to The Big Lebowski. Ebert gave a 👍. I think they were fucking with us.

[@Three_Random_Words]

@@themagnificentmrmcgee I remember Ebert saying Aliens was too much, a rough roller coaster ride and he felt exhausted in a bad way afterward. The really good stuff, imo, they tend to soften their views over enough time, generally.

[@moonverine]

Great compilation! I love the irony that clips that were fine for Saturday afternoon broadcast TV 30 years ago will now threaten to demonetize a KZbin video.

[@JA-pm4pu]

It's not because of the content, it's a copyright thing.

[@moonverine]

@@JA-pm4pu Maybe both? Maybe both is happening at the same time?

[@ColeSATurner]

I was agreeing with Siskel on all of these up until Silence of the Lambs, but I do agree that it isn't a masterpiece and it just had an amazing book to work with, similar as To Kill a Mockingbird.

[@JMC296]

Love this! Thanks for compiling

[@rebeccahopkins9522]

“Boredom! Boredom!…with Benji running”. 💀 😂

[@georgewolynetz3874]

Based on the clips provided here, I'm more in agreement with Siskel than Ebert. Siskel got Silence of the Lambs wrong to be sure though. I have never forgotten after nearly 40 years how Ebert's review of The Golden Child, reprinted in the NY Post, was so glowing he gave it 4 out of 4 stars. Even better than Beverly Hills Cop. And like a dope, I looked for ward to seeing that movie only to be completely blindsided. Even upon recent viewings, there's nothing there to quantify that kind of review. I'm not saying Siskel was never full of it, but Evert definitely was more so than Siskel.

[@JPJones03223]

I'm curious where you found these high quality clips? Every S&E video I've ever seen come from compressed VHS rips. Some of these are clearly from a better source.

[@BruceLee-t9n]

I agree. They look like they're from 1920s

[@ferociousgumby]

"It STINKS!" - Jay Sherman, The Critic

[@sha11235]

Didn't that dummy like anything?

[@brandenhill71]

I can’t believe Siskel gave a thumbs down to Silence of the Lambs. 😂. Wow. Didn’t that win best picture?

[@whiskyrebel9715]

Completely agree with Gene Siskel on Eddie Murphy Raw, and he wasn’t wrong. It has gone down as one of the best stand ups of all time.

[@bobspence5322]

roger was against the sexism. sexism was the death of rap.

[@WilliamHerlihy-p4g]

I completely agree with Roger on this one. Eddie Murphy is no Richard Pryor.

[@Hexon66]

No, it hasn't. It was of its time, and faded away.

[@brooklineg7727]

Always an easy way to settle these arguments - trust Ebert if you want your movies to have truth, beauty, class, and style... trust Siskel if you like your movies edgy, gritty, and prurient

[@dskdev]

oh yeah, home alone 3

[@samanthony8121]

Siskel didnt like Silence of the Lambs...

[@danielberg7644]

Like an old married couple.

[@BruceLee-t9n]

That's what happens when you live or work with the same person for decades

[@yuppiecake9097]

Yeah. It's hilarious.

[@davidl570]

Yep, and like an old married couple they may have had some intense arguments but at the end of the day they still loved and respected each other (and no doubt one was crushed when the other one died).

[@BruceLee-t9n]

@@davidl570 if any of them would be the Wifey, my money is on Ebert 😂

[@davidl570]

@@BruceLee-t9n Totally agree! (Nice screen name, btw!).

[@chrislang9442]

Winners of arguments(based on clips and movies I’ve seen): Benji The Hunted - Gene 👎 Home Alone 3 - Gene 👎 Eddie Murphy Raw - Gene 👍 Dirty Dancing - Roger 👎 Brain Candy - Roger 👎 Curly Sue - Gene 👎 (“WHAT?”😂) Alaska - Roger 👍 Starship Troopers- Roger 👎 (but it is better than Home Alone 3…ROGER 🙄 ) Silence of the Lambs - Roger 👍 Blue Velvet - Gene 👍 Bram Stoker’s Dracula - Roger 👍

[@humanice2]

Hell no, Starship Troopers is absolutely great and ages like fine wine, Gene was on point.

[@colten53]

I’d also like to add that they mildly disagree on the Back To The Future sequels. One of them prefers Part 2 for its darker elements and future setting while one preferred the Western genre of Part 3.

[@joelalexander4513]

Thank you so much for uploading this!!!!

[@ForeverBennett]

I always liked Ebert more. I felt he was a bit more open minded.

[@chrissmith7669]

Those were the days. Always great opinions

[@andyjennings791]

Watching these two helps my anxiety.

[@ferociousgumby]

Does anyone remember the animated series The Critic with movie critic Jay Sherman (a cross between Siskel and Ebert: fat AND bald)? In one episode Siskel and Ebert actually appeared (providing their own voices) and got into a fist fight.

[@sha11235]

yes.

[@MIKESMOVIECORNERANDMORE]

It was good for its time I enjoyed it

[@drewbrown2175]

Episode 4

[@Three_Random_Words]

I posted an idea for a skit elsewhere in the comments (only 30+ comments so far shouldn't be to hard to find it), I'll expound a little more here: Just a therapist assisting these two argue their points better, the therapist being a third wheel on camera. He would forget his role, and start arguing except he's a terrible film critic, only in his own mind he's a pro. Maybe S&E have two big thumbs down for Biodome, but the extra guy starts praising it like it's as good as One Flew Over The C.N. Yes, the 3rd wheel is the main focus. But I've got other ideas that are more centric to them, as long as you pay homage to their memory without making them too ridiculous. The therapist can be a real d ick though. It's funnier if you think up an alternative skit with S&E, since most trust their own sense of humor over others.

[@BruceLee-t9n]

40 or older remembers it. I liked it

[@leonpeace4714]

Jesus. If I were going on this video alone, I'd think Ebert was this worst critic ever.

[@scottlarson1548]

The funnest dig Ebert made against Siskel was on the Letterman show after Ebert lost weight. "I can lose as much weight as I want. Gene will always be bald."

[@MiketheratguyMultimedia]

When that goofy actor made the awful "Brown Bunny" movie and Ebert hated it, the guy said that Ebert was nothing but a fat loser. Ebert said "I am fat, but one day I will be thin. You, on the other hand, will always be the man who made "The Brown Bunny".

[@michaelblaine6494]

Paraphrasing Churchill

[@nomibe2911]

When Siskel asked Ebert are you okay lol.

[@VSMOKE1]

Imagine liking Home Alone 3 over Starship Troopers while that doesn't say everything

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

22:50 - I gotta remember that line! 🤣

[@spinlok3943]

I love how stunned Ebert looks when Siskel says it. lol

[@daytripperhd]

wow. silence of the lambs is a masterpiece with a great ending. wtf was siskel thinking.

[@notsparctacus]

They are like a married couple.

[@TrollinNolin95]

Except they had a lot of sex

[@insertclevername4123]

In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, "I love watching the bald guy argue with the fat tub of lard."

[@joeyvigil]

A lot of these are classics. Hard to believe that Silence of the Lambs, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Starship Troopers, Dirty Dancing & Blue Velvet could be rated negatively by a critic.

[@Coby_Got]

My grandfather took me to see Benji The Hunted, he told me after he didn’t like it, he liked movies with talking in them. 😊❤️

[@sonicgrub]

It's "funny" that Eddie Murphy is hurt by the harmless David Spade joke on SNL but he can dish hard on others. Raw is juvenile and mean. No comparison to Richard Pryor's thoughtful insight on races and gender politics. Ebert gets it right.

[@slyjokerg]

Roger was ridiculous on Raw. It isn't as good as Delirious, which wouldn't even be allowed to be made now, and is rarely shown anywhere for one particular reason, but Raw is still funny. It is interesting to go back through the S&E reviews and see one of them be way off the mark for a stupid, unjustified reason, and then the other one be off the mark for the same stupid, unjustified reason. Here, Roger is driving the "waa-mbulance" about the "he hates women" nonsense but in other cases it is reversed. The same thing happens on other subject matter. Gene is dead on right with simply explaining, "He's telling a joke." Roger needed to put on his big girl panties for that one.

[@LukeMM95]

Siskel - "I think the film is flawed and not worth your time." 👎 Ebert - "WHAT!? That cute kid movie? Have a heart, Gene. It's for kids!" 👍

[@mistergoodbear]

16:06 has some meme potential to it.

[@j-555]

Ebert was wrong on every Lynch film imo. I think Siskel had an overall worse track record, but for some reason he got it when it came to edgier or darker films. Siskel was wrong on classics like Scarface, Terminator, etc but Ebert would recommend trash more often like Home Alone 3 or Anaconda. Wtf Ebert??

[@24601jvj]

Ebert redeemed himself by his glowing review of Mulholland Drive.

[@j-555]

@@24601jvj Which is weird, in my opinion because that's the only Lynch movie I didn't care for. But I think he gave the straight story a good review too. Love that one.

[@Alex-tx6by]

Damn, very impressive take on Silence of The Lambs from Siskel. He was less easily seduced by that Hollywood cinema of quality tradition that Ebert loved. Absolutely right to note Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer as the better film

[@garybryant9097]

With Dirty Dancing, never forget that a 45 rpm disk holds 20 minutes of music

[@melocomanTV]

If I was a kid, I'd agree with Siskel more. Ebert treats kids like something different. They like movies the same as adults

[@melocomanTV]

@jefftravis3808 that's my point, there is no dichotomy how a kid would respond to a movie vs an adult. It's on an individual level. I watched Walkabout when I was 11 and it was my favorite movies ever

[@wonderguardstalker]

Siskel really holds his own for a lot of these and that’s coming from an Ebert fan. But his Silence of the Lambs take is insane

[@rawrvintageisclassic]

I know we all love Ebert but goddamn, Siskel fucken cooked!

[@derekp308]

“Kids in the Hall:Brain Candy” is hit or miss, some bits are funny, other moments make you scratch your head. The famous disagreement of “Blue Velvet” is a classic. Siskel was easily angry at Roger for hating it, even telling him that it’s not a slasher movie (and with the exception of “Halloween”, we all know how much they hated slasher movies).

[@robertfreestone414]

"Home Alone" didn't need a squeal. Why? It was hilarious because the thugs in the first movie had no idea they were up against a child. After that, it's adults against a child, and THAT is wrong.

[@Xylus.]

I like Gene a lot, but on Silence of the Lambs....well, when you're wrong, you're wrong.

[@sheridanclan6]

1. Benji the Hunted is for young kids only. 2. Home Alone 3 is absolutely AWFUL. 3. Eddie Murphy Raw is good but Delirious is better. 4. Dirty Dancing is predictable but I still enjoyed it except the ending is AWFUL! 5. I have heard "Brain Candy" is awful. 6. I couldn't watch Curly Sue very long. 7. I never saw Alaska. 8. I liked Starship Troopers a lot. 9. Silence of the Lambs is incredible but tough to watch. 10. I hated Blue Velvet. It is plain weird. 11. Dracula is different but somewhat interesting.

[@michaelblaine6494]

Raw was the only movie I got pushback from my parents about watching. They relented a few hours later but with all the stuff they let me watch it’s weird that that was the only one they thought twice about,made me wanna watch it even more of course. I was either 7 or 8(the 80s were a different time man)

[@isaacgraham5727]

Ebert’s reaction to Blue Velvet is actually somewhat infamous, because he gave the film 0 out of 4 stars in his initial review of it and accused Lynch of being downright exploitative of Rossellini as an actress in the scene where she shows up nude. I believe he later retracted this opinion when he spoke with Lynch at length about it, and learned that he did not film the nude sequences lightly, ironically, or disrespectfully - like learning that Lynch encountered a grown woman naked in public in Philidelphia when he was a child, and that it was an unforgettable experience for him.

[@patrickriley674]

I’m pretty sure he gave it 1 out of 4 🤔 Still low though

[@AlanSmitheeman]

I checked Siskel's review for THE BLACK STALLION and he didn't like it but Ebert did. And now he's saying it's a great film compared to the Benji movie. I'm really surprised that Ebert didn't like EDDIE MURPHY RAW. If anything I thought that Siskel would have dislike it.

[@jcollins1305]

I’ll say it again, the theme song is a banger!

[@slyjokerg]

Roger wins again on Silence of the Lambs, of course, as it is an all time great masterpiece.

[@todds.6028]

Although it wasn't fully on display here, Ebert was usually WAAYYY better at compartmentalizing and just "relax and enjoy the movie" for what it is than Siskel was . Siskel was usually a lot more nitpicky. If it was a lighthearted comedy (or a clear KIDS movie like Benji The Hunted), Ebert would usually evaluate it on THOSE terms. That's why I always loved him. He just seemed to have an unquenchable thirst for cinema, and he was never "too good" for any movie. If it was produced and released, he was willing to give it a shot. Just go on Rotten Tomatoes and search out any obscure "B" movie, and if there was only one "top critic" that reviewed it, it was usually Roger. Hell, he even gave UHF two hours of his time (Of course he panned it, but at least he was willing to sit through it.)

[@wet-read]

It's nice to see that some people love and appreciate Ebert 😃 He was brilliant at analysis and writing. I revisit his reviews not just for the analysis but for the quality of his writing. People flip out at film critics way too much. Their takes are here for us to consider... or not. That's it!

[@garybryant9097]

God, I hate lawyers.

[@gatchywatchyentertainmentb2090]

?

[@fenwar9060]

Actually them disagreeing with each other is the best part of the show.😁

[@Kruppt808]

The lines at the end of the arguments when they are going to the next movie😂😂😂😂

[@Shlogger]

Ebert had no sense of humor. If you don't laugh at Brain Candy you've lost the plot.

[@mrceleb2006]

Back in 1993, the greatest arguments between Siskel and Ebert were for 'Cop and a Half' where Siskel despised that film yet Ebert recommended it, and for 'Carnosaur' where Siskel recommended that film but Ebert despised it!

[@rdoyle29]

Roger's idea that "Blue Velvet" is somehow a comedy is ... puzzling

[@michaelblaine6494]

I don’t know,I find some of it funny it a strange way. Like randomly finding an ear,that’s funny to me but I can’t explain why😂

[@patokev3691]

❤ Career Opportunities ❤ Great choice, Gene!

[@Dogy0909]

I’m usually a pretty hardcore feminist and even I think Roger was too sensitive about Eddie Murphy Raw. I feel more comfortable saying this in 2024 now that it’s a relic of it’s time of course, but the clip they show made me laugh so hard because Eddie was right, I was thinking “good for her” 😂

[@Three_Random_Words]

That leather outfit didn't age well though.

[@MrsBlaileen1]

@@Three_Random_WordsTrue. Even Murphy himself has laughed at that leather outfit choice in recent years.

[@classicsmajor9699]

Hearing Ebert throw around liking Starship Troopers as an insult is wild. He really just did not understand what he was watching.

[@Tom-V]

I agree with Siskell so hard on that Eddie Murphy film.

[@hansjuker8296]

Murphy was a bigot. And a homosexual.

[@Arcademan09]

I'll admit i saw Home Alone 3 WAY too much back in the day on VHS but in general I loved all 3 as a kid. Now i love the first 2, even the second one i enjoy watching on the holidays

[@alexmammoth2916]

Love these guys, but i cant imagine using "you liked Starship Troopers" as a rebuttal against why i liked Home Alone 3.

[@Theakker3B]

Roger Ebert was totally wrong about Eddie Murphy.

[@DoncoEntAgain]

Gene's facial expressions during the Home Alone 3 review are hilarious. That said, I actually liked Home Alone 3 when I was a kid, but haven't seen it in many many years.

[@phill8005]

I never found Eddie Murphy funny as a stand up only as a skit actor. His portrayal of Gleason getting f'ed by Norton was offensive and very hypocritical considering the rumors about Eddie.

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

Silence of the Lambs is a rare time where Gene Siskel was absolutely up his own ass and DEAD WRONG about a movie! He makes it sound like it's a shitty slasher movie!

[@Three_Random_Words]

Yeah, I just watched that review. Gene thought Henry Portrait of Serial Killer was a superior movie. It was too real in a counterproductive way to be actually entertaining. His point seemed very ironic.

[@vigilante8374]

Heh, that's nothing... you should see what both Siskel and Ebert said about The Hitcher (an absolutely criminally underrated film. I seriously wouldn't hesitate to rank it ahead of Silence of the Lambs. The original Hitcher, not the remake, obviously.) It was the most utterly unhinged rant I've ever heard out of either of them, and Ebert doubled down on it in his print review. They exaggerate the gore to a ridiculous extent (even for the 80s it was pretty tame stuff, and nowadays could easily be shown uneditted on network TV), they both say that stuff is shown on-screen when it obviously wasn't shown at all, they start ranting about the whole thing being code for S&M gay sex and/or AIDS (?!) apparently on the basis of nothing but a one-off scene where the killer pretends to be gay for a few seconds just to get past some cops, and Ebert has a baseless and demented notion that the ending of the film was meant to imply that someone was turned evil in order to take over the killer's role, when in reality there were no such hints given at all (it was ultimately a coming of age story that highlighted the importance of overcoming one's fears and fighting evil... how Roger managed to twist that into "to fight evil is to become evil" is completely beyond me.)

[@BruceLee-t9n]

They weren't always Right on movies. They often changed their minds. They admitted this more than once

[@darwinblinks]

I agree with Gene

[@wet-read]

Lambs is good but overrated.

[@Tom-V]

But God Siskell has such a bad take on Silence of the Lambs

[@mikeh4818]

Siskel never liked morbid/dark films. He was pretty consistent with that

[@lyndonchastain3181]

@@mikeh4818 He liked Halloween

[@mrradio6223]

Theres like 3-4 kills in that film and theyre not grpahic ​@lyndonchastain3181

[@Winnipegger]

@@mikeh4818 ...and Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer wasn't dark? Lol-and I hated that film.

[@christianlorre]

@@Tom-V he admitted after the Oscars gave so many to that film, he went back to watch silence again, but still couldn't bring himself to like it. Sometimes people are weird.

[@ronniebarter3857]

Damn I didn't realise Siskel was so redpilled

[@slyjokerg]

What is up with the blurring of Dirty Dancing? Regardless, that one being on this list doesn't even make sense. Gene announced a "marginal thumbs up." It wasn't like he was calling it Casablanca. Anyway... Gene is right again. It IS hokey, but this is one of those movies that has a certain look, feel, and charm to it that surpasses the nuts and bolts aspects of movie critiques.

[@samsquanch1996]

For some reason I remembered them giving Home Alone 3 two thumbs up saying it was "better than the first 2." Mandela Effect.

[@retroboomer3197]

Home Alone 3= Ding Ding Starship Troopers= Dong Dong Okay, Ebert. That's some great film making expertise ya got there, bro.

[@kenyafarragut6891]

Its weird how Siskel liked Blue Velvet, but not SOTLs....

[@jabrokneetoeknee6448]

Blue Velvet had greater artistic merit which I think Siskel maybe thought justified the depravity on screen. Whereas SOTL is shock for the sake of shock. It’s a well made thriller, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t transcend beyond being just a solid genre flick. I rewatched it recently and realized that had this movie been released today, instead of 30 years ago, and had a different actor played Hannibal, I think audiences would just sort of shrug at it.

[@Octavian2]

​@@jabrokneetoeknee6448I think this is correct. Blue Velvet is the superior film out of the two.

[@timgriffin3368]

While Silence of the Lambs was very good, that year, both Bugsy and JFK were far superior.

[@AFellowCyberman]

L

[@BruceLee-t9n]

No Way. JFK equals it but bugsy although a fine picture but it's behinds silence of the lambs. Silence of the lambs is a masterpiece

[@TomatoKing1817]

Gene Siskel was spot on about Blue Velvet. Lynch mixed humor and horror perfectly.

[@MisfitsFiendClub138]

Ebert dropped the ball on Eddie Murphy's Raw. That movie was freaking hysterical 😂

[@oppothumbs1]

How the Hell could neither not love Silence of the Lambs? A fine thriller.

[@bigbrytunney8753]

Ebert is an extreme feminist. As soon as Murphy started making jokes towards women in that act, Ebert turned on him.

[@MisfitsFiendClub138]

@@bigbrytunney8753 Umfoofoo: Eddie! You treat me like animal Eddie! Eddie: You was bucknaked on a Zebra last month 😂🤣😆🤣😆😂

[@Hexon66]

Ebert had it right. It is juvenile. Just revisit it, it hasn't aged well. It relied on the same low bar sophomoric sense of humor as Dice and Kinison later in the 80s. Granted, clips for this show were edited for language, but where are the jokes, other than Murphy's charisma? Virtually every family as that guy, particularly if your big punch line is "GTFOH".

[@michaelschroeck2254]

I just remember a huge tiff they had once where siskel laid into every about how wrong he was about a movie and Roger’s only response was “ Thanks for that tip.” Wow!!!!! Awkward. And I user fat in current arguments I have with people!!!

[@spinlok3943]

In all fairness ro Roger, Brain Candy never did become the midnight cult classic film that Gene predicted.

[@heavysystemsinc.]

Should have, though.

[@davidl570]

@@heavysystemsinc. Agree! To say it's DAMN HILARIOUS would be an understatement.

[@BruceLee-t9n]

John Hughes was a movie making machine

[@Jojoburns26]

I usually sided heavily on Roger's opinions and reviews of movies, but regarding these arguments I find myself siding more with Gene.

[@daytripperhd]

“until they get big enough to eat him”. 😅ebert. ur a funny guy

[@technooby220]

This seems like an 80's show rather than a late 90's. Funny how HD changed everything.

[@themagnificentmrmcgee]

To be fair most of these are from the 80s and this show did go on till around 2008 I think (of course it was Reoper and Ebert after 1999 because of Siskel’s death.

[@thomasmuff3669]

Ebert was most concerned about how children would perceive movies. But he was most often wrong.

[@WilliamHerlihy-p4g]

Gene had kids, Roger didn't.

[@odessa745]

Roger could've shared some of his hair with Gene.

[@philipcohen7192]

Anthony Hopkins great performance… NO. Wins Oscar for best actor.

[@pronkb000]

I mean...I'm not siding with Gene here, but there has been plenty of garbage that have won Oscars.

[@wet-read]

Hopkins' acting was more like a cliched idea of a serial killer rather than how most serial killers are actually like. At least when interacting with people. I much prefer Brian Cox in the role.

[@TheJameslehr]

MAD Magazine doing a memorable spoof on DIRTY DANCING. This feature divided into 35 panels and each has a trope underneath that demonstrates why this movie is so pedestrian.

[@theessentials450]

Bad language should always be used as spice, not the ingredients.