Review: Of course, two thumbs up
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 21, 2012
They were sort of the Lucy and Ricky of movie criticism, always  seemed to be rivals who entertained people, had much mutual respect and - I'd venture to say based on this laudatory bio - were fast friends while being great admirers of each other's talent. "I miss him every day," Roger Ebert said recently of his former co-host Gene Siskel.I can't imagine a more you-are-there, insider account of a relationship - no matter how adversarial - or the genesis of an iconic television program than "Enemies, A Love Story." And therein lies my quibble. (Hang on, it's only a quibble.)The article exists as an oral history of the development of "At the Movies" and of Ebert & Siskel's often-fractious relationship. It records and plays back a long series of interviews, and only interviews. It is the opposite of a deep dive. Stuffed more often than not with one- or two-sentence quotes from an army of people involved with the show, the memoir manages to only skim the surface. The longest, sustained piece of reporting is the introduction and that's the best part of the article.Author Josh Schollmeyer says that from the beginning "At the Movies" was built upon adversary. "There is commerce in rivalry - never more so than on television, where animosity often rouses chemistry - and chemistry dependably rouse ratings." But Siskel and Ebert were better than almost anyone of making the most out rivalry and they remained the best for more than a quarter century."Times" film critic A.O. "Tony" Scott says "The idea that two guys who were simultaneously collaborating and competing with each other could produce something interesting certainly had an enormous impact on television. But it also was an important milestone in the history of criticism."Rick Kogan of the "Chicago Tribune" is blunt but nails it, "[Insert f-word] Pauline Kael. Gene and Roger, in their time, were the most powerful critics in entertainment."I had a quibble, but as oral history this memoir serves to create a needed record of a remarkable relationship and documents a singular achievement in great television.  Can't help but say "two thumbs up."