Do the Right Thing 1989
The film that opens the episode and never leaves it. Both critics named it the best film of 1989 and put it on their decade top tens; its shutout at Cannes and the Oscars became a running source of outrage.
The Big Picture · Discussion
6. “The Human Condition” | Gene and Roger
August 17, 2021/ 28 min/ Brian Raftery
Brian Raftery's narrative history of Siskel and Ebert reaches the 1990s, when the two critics went from watching Hollywood to fighting it out over the Do the Right Thing snub, the documentary Oscar, the X rating, and Bob Dole.
17 films across 1 segment.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
The 90s: Gene and Roger take on Hollywood
sex, lies, and videotape 1989
Soderbergh's debut, cited as the film that kicked off the American indie wave the two had been covering since 1981.
Boyz n the Hood 1991
John Singleton's debut, part of the surge of new Black filmmakers alongside Spike Lee.
Menace II Society 1993
The Hughes brothers, grouped with Singleton in the early-90s wave.
Crumb 1994
One of the decade's documentaries the critics championed.
The War Room 1993
Paired with Crumb as part of the 90s documentary run.
One False Move 1992
Carl Franklin's low-budget thriller, headed straight to video until Gene and Roger praised it on Leno's Tonight Show and pushed it into 50-plus cities.
Roger & Me 1989
Michael Moore's Flint documentary, shut out of the documentary Oscar race. The critics blamed the snub on the Academy's flashlight-voting committee.
Hoop Dreams 1994
Steve James's basketball doc, also denied a documentary nomination; the critics took the case to Letterman and the rules changed months later.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls 1970
The showbiz satire Ebert co-wrote; its X rating gave him a personal stake in the fight against the rating.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 1986
Released without a rating in 1990, one of the adult films whose limbo exposed the system's flaws before the NC-17 debate.
Showgirls 1995
The NC-17 rating Ebert lobbied for made a theatrical release for films like this possible, which the critics half-jokingly took credit for.
Reservoir Dogs 1992
Tarantino's debut. Both critics gave it a thumbs down and stood by that verdict even after Pulp Fiction.
Pulp Fiction 1994
Ebert's 90s obsession; he held screenings and dissected it the way he did Citizen Kane.
Ready to Wear 1994
Altman's fashion satire. Producer Harvey Weinstein called to talk Ebert out of a bad review; Ebert wrote the thumbs down anyway.
The Color of Money 1986
Scorsese's pool drama, an emphatic thumbs down from both despite their admiration for the director.
Casino 1995
Siskel went negative, saying Scorsese had reached the end of the mob milieu.
Also mentioned raised along the way
The well-made popcorn movies (thumbs up) Die Hard 2SpeedThe FugitiveGoodfellasUnforgivenBasic InstinctThe Last of the Mohicans
In passing Raging BullMy Dinner with AndreGloryDriving Miss DaisyThe Right StuffAliensThe TerminatorThe Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her LoverWild OrchidAngel Heart9½ WeeksTrue RomanceNatural Born KillersForrest GumpCitizen Kane
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV Siskel & EbertSneak PreviewsThe Tonight ShowLate Show with David LettermanThe Phil Donahue ShowMurphy BrownMarried... with Children
Music We Didn't Start the Fire2 Live CrewIce-T
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