Michael Phillips (critic)
Michael Phillips is an American film critic formerly for the Chicago Tribune newspaper.
Early life
Phillips was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and spent most of his early years in Racine.Career
Prior to being film critic for the Chicago Tribune, Phillips was the drama critic of the Tribune; the Los Angeles Times; the St. Paul Pioneer Press; The San Diego Union-Tribune; and the Dallas Times Herald.From 2006 through August 2008, he appeared frequently on At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper, first as one of numerous guest critics filling in for the late Roger Ebert while he was on medical leave, and becoming a semipermanent cohost with Richard Roeper in the months before Roeper and Ebert ended their association with the series. On August 5, 2009, Phillips was hired along with New York Times critic A. O. Scott to replace hosts Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz. The show was cancelled after one season due to low ratings, concluding its run in August 2010.
Phillips has introduced over 100 feature films for Turner Classic Movies. He appears on the Filmspotting podcast. He hosted a series about movie music called The Film Score and contributes to Soundtrack both for WFMT-FM.
In 2025, the Chicago Tribune eliminated its film critic role and Phillips accepted a buyout. His final review for the paper, published August 14, was for the film Highest 2 Lowest. His final piece for the paper overall, published September 4, was a preview for movies coming out in the fall of 2025.