A year-long wish of mine was granted this past weekend, and in the most thrilling of ways. Throughout the month of November, the fiftieth anniversary of “Siskel & Ebert” has been celebrated at the Chicago Cultural Center with special free programming held in its Claudia Cassidy Theatre. Most of them have been screenings of films beloved by the critics, followed by a conversation with key people involved in the show.

What made the “Siskel & Ebert” anniversary event held last Saturday, November 22nd, particularly special was the fact that it was a live performance. Local actors Stephan Winchell and Zack Mast appeared on the Claudia Cassidy stage as the landmark critic duo in a new show devised by Paul Durica’s public history project, Pocket Guide to Hell. Seated in chairs that would’ve felt right at home in Siskel and Ebert’s balcony, the critics watched filmed reenactments of various key moments from the evolution of their show as it gradually became a cultural phenomenon. They then discussed and debated the contents of the footage, as they would the merits of the films they reviewed on their show. An amusing running gag centered on Ebert’s insistence that his name should’ve been placed first in the title of their show, considering that he won a Pulitzer Prize, leading Siskel to flip a coin (as he did in real life) to ensure that his name would remain before his co-host’s.

It was last July when I initially saw the actors inhabit these roles in Katlin Schneider’s play, “Siskel/Ebert,” at Chicago’s Bughouse Theater. Watching the show was akin to getting as close as I ever could to observing Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert debate the merits of cinematic works in person. There was no question in my mind that the actors’ performances deserved two very enthusiastic thumbs way up. Winchell was spot-on and very funny as Siskel, while Mast captured Ebert’s look, mannerisms and cadence so impeccably, it was downright eerie. The episode they lovingly and ingeniously reenacted was from June 1987, where the sparring colleagues famously argued about “Full Metal Jacket” and “Benji the Hunted,” complete with hysterical recreations of the selected movie clips. Siskel’s widow, Marlene Iglitzen, was in attendance, and the show got her seal of approval as well. From that moment on, I was determined to have Roger’s widow—my former boss and dear friend, Chaz Ebert—see the show as well.

When I learned that Winchell and Mast were reprising their roles for the fiftieth anniversary festivities, I knew it would be a show I could not miss. In attendance for the sold out performance were numerous Windy City legends who had key roles in Siskel and Ebert’s legacy, including Marlene Iglitzen and Chaz Ebert; the show’s invaluable producer Thea Flaum; Michelle McKenzie-Voigt, assistant director of the show in its iteration entitled “Sneak Previews”; and former Chicago Sun-Times film critic and columnist Richard Roeper, who was selected as Ebert’s co-host following Siskel’s passing in 1999. This distinguished group participated in a lively onstage panel discussion moderated by veteran Chicago newspaperman Rick Kogan following the performance, though it was earlier in the evening when Chaz audibly gave her review of the show. As soon as Mast turned toward the audience, his resemblance to her late husband was so uncanny that it caused Chaz to exclaim, “Oh my god!” Later in the show, when the actors had an animated argument onstage in character, it was so evocative of Siskel and Ebert’s unmatched banter that it garnered applause from the crowd.

Produced by Durica and Meredith Milliron, the show featured live performances from Jeffrey Thomas and his band of the various theme songs utilized by Siskel and Ebert, culminating in the “Sneak Previews” theme for which a band member heroically replicated the wall-to-wall whistling. Rachel Wilson and Tim Sozoko appeared in the reenactment footage as Thea Flaum and David Letterman, respectively, while Kenya Merritt, acting commissioner of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, kicked off the event by reading statements from her as well as the city’s mayor Brandon Johnson. 

“By reviewing films through accessible, authentic conversation, they transformed the way the world engages with cinema,” Merritt said of Siskel and Ebert. “As we celebrate their 50-year legacy, we also honor the generations of filmmakers, critics, and audiences they inspired. Their influence continues to shape how we uplift storytelling and creative innovation here in Chicago.”

As Roeper noted during the post-show panel, Siskel and Ebert’s spirit can be found in every person you see engaging in impassioned conversation about the film they’ve just seen. The thumbprint of their influence can be found everywhere from Letterboxd and the Criterion Closet to even a show like ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” which Roeper said was conceived as a sports-focused equivalent of “Siskel & Ebert.” Chaz hinted onstage that the critics’ legacy is the subject for several projects currently in development, including a documentary and narrative film—the details about both are confidential—and a stage production that is actively in development by her daughter, Sonia Evans. Whether or not Winchell and Mast will be involved in any of these future projects, they have set an enormously high bar for any performer seeking to capture the essence of these fiercely opinionated icons. 

“Grow,” which opens on October 17, is a charming story about a girl named Charlie (newcomer Priya-Rose Brookwell) with a gift for communicating with plants. She was abandoned at an orphanage by her feckless mother, but when the staff locates her aunt Dinah (Golda Rosheuvel). Charlie joins her on her struggling farm in a small community where the most important event of the year is the annual pumpkin competition.

In an interview, Glaswegian director John McPhail talked about finding the right cast and setting and making a movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family.

The setting you found for the film really invites us into the world of the story. It’s so charming.

It is a made-up town, but we shot it at a place called Culross. It’s a beautiful little town. There’s loads of history to it. It’s like a British town, and it’s almost got this little touch of Scandinavian architecture to it, which I thought would lean into the fantasy element. It has a big orange building from when they used to tan, and I thought, “Ah, like pumpkins.” And it’s right on the coast as well, so I thought it would just make a really lovely little setting. 

You said you wanted to make this a family film rather than a film for children. What does that mean?

I wanted to create that shared experience, where the kids are laughing and the adults are laughing. It’s trying to find that happy balance. I make films for audiences. I am here to tell stories.  

The edit was so brisk that it taught us not to take it all too seriously because it is fun and not too tense.

My editor is incredible. David Arthur is a filmmaker himself as well. He’s not a yes guy. He tells you his opinions and fights for every frame as well. That relationship starts even before we start shooting. Dave’s cutting while I’m filming so I’ll get a phone call from him saying, “Oh, this is great,” or “Can you can you pick up a shot?” And he’s a father. So, 

having him there next to me through all this was brilliant.  

You have an outstanding cast, though it took me a minute to get used to seeing Queen Charlotte on a farm! Tell me about the casting process, starting with Priya in her first screen role.

Priya was nine. She is in practically every frame of the film, and she just knocked it out of the park all the time. She never cried. She was never huffy. She never stopped. It’s like she came in every day as a bundle of energy and a joy to work with. And I would talk to her the same way I would talk to Nick and Golda. I can’t praise her enough, one incredible kid. She just loves acting. 

The magic trick you accomplished in this movie is combining a lot of different tones and genres while keeping it very organic. 

Balancing the tone overall is something that I’m thinking about all the time. It’s a British film, a British cast, but I want it to be international. When you’ve got like American financiers and UK financiers, and the Americans want to make it bigger, and the UK is like, “Bring it back down.” I have to make sure that I’m looking after and servicing both those audiences. I’d get my cast to do other takes to be a bit bigger, and then other times dial it back. That meant in the edit, I got to have fun playing with things. I can either really push it or pull it back as well. And that allows a little bit more fluidity. It just creates this nice little push and pull. It meant we could find that sweet spot.

I sit down with all my department heads, tell them what I’m looking for, and then they feed into it. But film is such a collaborative process. I get to work with incredible talent, and they’re just building on everything that I’m doing. When you’re collaborative and open like that, it creates a more harmonious set. People feel like they can talk. 

And I like to have fun. We’re making entertainment. This is my dream job. Why would I be grumpy? Why would I be fighting with folk? I just want us all to finish the day and make something that’s great, but I want us to have fun while we do it. 

I’m very selective, particularly with my heads of departments and my crew, because I want people who are going to be like that. Not everyone will know me on the first day, but by the end of the film, everyone will know me, from the security guards to the execs, because I talk to everyone. It’s about appreciating each other. 

And honestly, I had the best cast. None of them had any egos. They just wanted to come in. They wanted to have a lot of fun. Golda and Nick [Frost] were never in their trailers. They were always on set. They just wanted to hang out with the crew. When you’ve got a cast and crew who feel listened to and appreciated, the audience can sense that kind of joy. 

I always told her to go with her gut. If it feels right in the moment, go. You get some of the best stuff that way. You may get absolute nonsense, but we go again. 

Something unusual in the movie, especially in a film for young people, is having two villains. 

Even with the score, we loved writing that villain theme. I love a villain, and like I love a villain that turns around as well. Jeremy Swift was so funny. And Jane Horrocks and Tim McInnerny are those posh weirdos. I didn’t want them to be posh idiots. I wanted them to be weird.