Siskel & Ebert (TV Series)

Batman & Robin/Hercules/My Best Friend's Wedding/For Roseanna/Ponette (1997)

Gene Siskel: Self - Host

Quotes 

• Roger Ebert - Host : "Hercules" is a wonderfully entertaining movie, overflowing with inspirations from Greek mythology, and with a lot of satiric cross-references to more current myths. The movie is lighter and more cheerful than the two most recent Disney animated features, "Pocahontas" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", and although it lacks the depth and emotion of "Hunchback", it is lighter and more playful, with a touch that is a real delight.

  Gene Siskel - Host : Well again, Roger, I was disappointed by a big summer movie. And, on the drawing scale, I think you've named the one thing that I did like, and the one character that I do like a lot, and that's Hades, he's well done, and James Woods is very good.

  Roger Ebert - Host : Yes, yes he is.

  Gene Siskel - Host : He does the spritzing that, uh, Robin Williams did as well.

  Roger Ebert - Host : Yeah.

  Gene Siskel - Host : And Scarfe's angular look is good. But so much of the film to me is soft, rounded animation that I, uh, associate with the wannabes of Disney that are so lame. And I'm thinking of the world of Zeus, and I'm thinking of the drawing of Zeus and also Hercules himself. Compare that to "The Little Mermaid", I think an underrated film. And compare Zeus, who is a complete bore compared to Triton, Triton in "The Little Mermaid", and uh, The Little Mermaid versus Hercules, boring. The songs, the supporting characters, there isn't a song here you can hum, I can't hum...

  Roger Ebert - Host : Well, you know...

  Gene Siskel - Host : Nothing's memorable. Right? On the songs.

  Roger Ebert - Host : I would put "Little Mermaid" right up at the top...

  Gene Siskel - Host : Me too.

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...Along with "Beauty and the Beast".

  Gene Siskel - Host : Exactly.

  Roger Ebert - Host : And I would put this one notch down, but I certainly still recommend it, Gene. I had a good time, I enjoyed myself.

  Gene Siskel - Host : I didn't.

  Roger Ebert - Host : I liked the mythology, I liked the characters, I like the whole tone...

  Gene Siskel - Host : Maybe...

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...Of the film.

  Gene Siskel - Host : But Roger, respond to some of my criticisms, because I'm getting the sense that you think I'm right. The songs are not memorable, the drawing of Hades- uh, the world of Zeus...

  Roger Ebert - Host : I never know if the songs are memorable until I hear them three or four times. Look at you, telling me "Hakuna Makata" was gonna be on everybody's lips for the rest of the century.

  Gene Siskel - Host : It IS, and everyone who heard you say it knows it and can sing it.

  Roger Ebert - Host : No, that's not true.

  Gene Siskel - Host : Okay.

  Roger Ebert - Host : Well, in any event...

  Gene Siskel - Host : That's a ringing defense, by the way, folks, of- of this movie.

  Roger Ebert - Host : I would be happy to...

  Gene Siskel - Host : Bringing up an old review.

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...Go on and tell you once again that I think this is an extremely entertaining, very pleasant, bright film. It doesn't matter if Zeus is that interesting because he's not a major character the way Triton was.

  Gene Siskel - Host : You're telling story, you're telling story, do you think Hercules is the least bit interesting as a character?

  Roger Ebert - Host : Yes!

  Gene Siskel - Host : Not me.

  Roger Ebert - Host : Yes, I did!

  Gene Siskel - Host : Not me at all.

  Roger Ebert - Host : Yes, he was!

  Gene Siskel - Host : Here we go.

• Roger Ebert - Host : [after the recap]  I know, Gene, that families are gonna like "Hercules". I liked it...

  Gene Siskel - Host : Roger.

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...I went with relatives, they liked it. People are gonna like it.

  Gene Siskel - Host : Don't play THAT game with me, because I'll stand my family against yours, and my kids didn't like it, if you want to play that.

  Roger Ebert - Host : They didn't like it?

  Gene Siskel - Host : Nope.

  Roger Ebert - Host : They didn't?

  Gene Siskel - Host : Those are great...

  Roger Ebert - Host : Send 'em over, send 'em over to Uncle Roger's house...

  Gene Siskel - Host : No...

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...And I'll explain it to them.

  Gene Siskel - Host : These are wonderful- you know what, I can see a future...

  Roger Ebert - Host : They've fallen under the...

  Gene Siskel - Host : Roger!

  Roger Ebert - Host : ...Sleigh of the wrong film critic.

  Gene Siskel - Host : Roger! Roger! We've got a sequel that will outlive us: My kids versus your family!

  Roger Ebert - Host : Sounds like, uh, that would be a lot of...

  Gene Siskel - Host : We wouldn't even have to change the title of the show!

  Roger Ebert - Host : Well, we WOULD, but that's okay.