@@michaelorick2197 I actually like listening to their reviews of past movies that we often liked, but often gave it a thumbs-down or a thumbs-up. Really miss those two for setting the bar straight at times, when it comes to whatever movie they watch.
The Frisco Kid was the very first review that I ever saw Siskel and Ebert do. I did not know who the hell they were until I saw them one Saturday afternoon and just started watching. My mom and dad were about to leave to go to a company party and I walked into the living room and she had them on. She said "Hey watch this, you might like it" and I started watching and the review was The Frisco Kid. It was even in the middle of the show. From that moment on I was hooked on Siskel and Ebert. What was strange was that I later asked my mom "When you told me that day to watch Sneak Previews (as I later found out about the show's name, I didn't even know the name at first) did you know what it was about?'. She said she did not know a fucking thing about Siskel and Ebert or their show. and like me never had seen them before. In fact she had only had their show on for a few minutes before I walked into the room. I asked her if she did not know what the hell she was watching then why did she tell me to watch it and she said that she she didn't know She just took a wild guess that I would like it. Go figure. RIP Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.
@Jason Thompson Oh i get ya Jason! These two were doing this show 3 or 4 years - something like that - before I ever saw them! I too was hooked on S and E. I watched them all through the 80's and the 90's up until Siskel's death and all the way up to Ebert's death. I even watch the other versions of their shows with the other critics (but nothing matched Siskel and Ebert). As one reviewer said in an article I read a few years ago one of the things that made their chemistry work was that Gene was the Bert/Stan Laurel/ Bud Abbot to Roger's Ernie/Oliver Hardy/Lou Costello. The taller skinny guy and the shorter fat guy! Oh and Siskel was a devout Jew while Ebert was a Roman Catholic Christian. I do miss them but you know thanks to You Tube here we can go back and see many of their reviews.
Roger Ebert didn't understand the complexity of a movie that could mix genres and tones as well as The Frisco Kid. Further, he and Siskel misjudges the audience's ability to process that complexity. I wonder what the pair would make of movies like Taika Waititi's Hunt For The Wilderpeople, or a show like Breaking Bad?
The Frisco Kid is actually one of Harrison Ford and Gene Wider's most lovable roles ... I don't think the humor was low brow at all ... they often feel genuine and fun without being awkward or forced at all ... I think sometimes Siskel and Ebert are trying too hard to come across as smart ...
They came across as frequently making mistakes about the details of films. But here I understand what these 2 100 percent retarded film critics were getting at. The movie was really kinda uneven.Slapstick one minute-- attempted heavy-handed drama the next. Huh???
I would say the FK was best as a slapstick but one problem. No beautiful girls were in on the jokes just guys were and it was not visually attractive a film to look at.
I agree with Roger. The Villain was a noble experiment that failed. But I don't think it was a rip-off - it was a blatant and obvious homage to cartoons.
Toward the end of Gene's print review of _The Villain,_ he mentioned that he saw it at one of the theaters (the Randhurst Cinema 2) that belonged to the now-defunct General Cinema Corporation, and criticized the chain for at the time requiring a high lighting level at all of its theaters, believing it made it hard for him to actually see what was on the screen. chicagotribune.newspapers.com/clip/37073204/
I don't disagree with Siskel and Ebert very often, but hoo boy, did they miss the mark on The Frisco Kid. The filmmakers tried to do too many things, they say? Maybe you have to be Jewish to get the whole thing, though I doubt it, but in any case...oy gevalt...
I gave up on The Frisco Kid when the robbery scene started. I didn't laugh at a single thing. I knew I was in trouble when the film tried to make people laugh with the sight of rabbis.
I disagree with the both of them for these two movies . I saw these movies in the theaters and wasn't disappointed . Gene Wilder stole the main character from Harrison Ford with ease . Harrison seemed to love saying shee-it because he said it so many times .
