 | |
List Price: $19.98 | | Label: 20th Century Fox
Salesrank: 60188
Released: April 8, 2008 |
| Our Price: $2.91 |
| Used Price: $0.45 |
|
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
Sportswriter Erik Kernan (Hartnett) wants nothing more than to discover a story great enough to make headlines. So when he meets Champ (Jackson), a former boxing champion living on the streets, he knows he has a shot to save them both. Recording his newfound friend's unbelievable tale of triumph and defeat, Kernan gets his story and his fame. But as Champ's tale falls under more scrutinizing eyes, Kernan will have to learn that what truly makes a story great is the quality of the man behind it.
Description of Resurrecting the Champ:
Loosely based on a Los Angeles Times Magazine story by J.R. Moehringer, Resurrecting the Champ is a heartfelt, thematically ambitious drama that attempts to work on several levels, and mostly pulls it off. On one level it's the story of a sloppy journalist named Erik Kernan (Josh Hartnett) who learns a painful lesson in humility when he's forced to confront his own shortcomings as a father and a sportswriter. On another level it's a richly human tale of redemption between the flawed reporter who's desperate to match his late father's professional reputation, and a former boxing champion (Samuel L. Jackson) who's now a homeless drifter on the streets of Denver, Colorado. When Kernan seizes on "The Champ" as the kind of personal, humanitarian story that could give him a much-needed career boost, he falls into the trap of his own ambition, making a professional mistake that threatens to ruin his career forever. While attempting to impress his 6-year-old son (Dakota Goyo) and win back the respect of his estranged wife (Kathryn Morris, from TV's Cold Case), Kernan is groomed for celebrity by a sexy Showtime executive (Teri Hatcher), but must ultimately get his values and priorities in order. Resurrecting the Champ emerges as a surprisingly thought-provoking study of professional and personal ethics, with some equally compelling observations about the modern state of journalism-as-show-business. Directed with a delicately sentimental touch by former film critic Rod Lurie (The Contender, The Last Castle), Resurrecting the Champ lacks the sharp focus that could've made it a modest classic, but it's a welcome relief from the mindless mayhem of big-studio blockbusters. Lurie's careful handling of the material is blessed by excellent performances by Hartnett and Jackson, with stellar support from Morris, Alan Alda, David Paymer, and especially Peter Coyote, almost unrecognizable under old-age makeup as a veteran boxing reporter who sets Hartnett's character on the road to redemption. --Jeff Shannon
Resurrecting the Champ Reviews:
might test your patience, let's be honest 
2009-11-18 - I've seen many complaints from reviewers that Resurrecting the Champ is just a flat out boring film. I can see why so many people are coming to that conclusion.
The story isn't one of the best, that's for sure, and the film is certainly NOTHING like the classic Rocky films, so don't go assuming there will be a dramatic boxing match at the end of the movie that will satisfy your secret love for intense punching action, because it ain't gonna happen. Completely different movies.
What makes the storyline sort of boring is the fact that WAY too much of it focuses on the aimless walking and talking reporter aspect, and less on communicating with the boxer himself.
I don't know about you, but I would have been MUCH more satisfied had most of the movie been devoted to scenes showing Samuel L. Jackson's character, and less on the other guy who played the reporter role.
Resurrecting the Champ is about a news reporter looking for a big story to cover for the paper, and through a painfully slow and uninteresting build-up in character development and storyline, the reporter eventually finds a homeless man living on the streets that used to be a big-name boxer a long time ago... or at least, that's what it appears. Keep watching the film to see what's REALLY going on.
Why the movie doesn't stack up to the hype is because the story is just so sloooooow to not only get going, but to actually GET anywhere. The pace never picks up for its entire 2-hour running time, and despite a magnificent performance by Samuel L. Jackson, you have to be *very* patient to sit still and pay attention to a storyline that's honestly mediocre at best.
However, despite the problems, I can't deny I was sitting there and enjoying the film, and I really was curious to see the next plot development... for whatever reason. Maybe I was just in the mood to watch a movie this afternoon, who knows? Maybe I wanted to believe the hype?
I'll give the movie a 4 out of 5 rating, but you should know it's a weak 4, maybe even a high 3.
Not worth the time 
2009-11-14 - I am very open minded and like almost every type of movie. My favorite genre is sports inspirational and/or true stories so I'm typically biased to like this style of movie even more.
The truth is that this one just didn't make the cut. I watched it on cable for free and still felt that it was a waste of my time.
What You See... 
2009-05-02 - Jackson's performance in this film was top notch, though the rest of it left something to be desired. With an interesting enough premise the plot became quickly predictable, which made Hartnett's character just seem a bit slow. I also kept waiting for some deeper insight into the politics of the sport in hopes of shedding light on why some of the Champ's decisions were made, to no avail. Interesting but not fantastic by a long shot.
Boring 
2008-11-19 - Couldn't get into the movie at all. I wish I would have saved my money
Mediocre Feel Good Movie
2008-11-18 - Mediocre journalist, Erik Kernan Jr. (played by Josh Hartnett), continually lives in the shadow of his famous journalist father and strives to become a great writer in his own right instead of always living in the shadow of his legendary father.
Erik Kernan Jr. believes he has found his "breakout story", which will set him apart from the pack of other journalist, making him a star reporter worthy of writing top news stories.... Erik Kernan Jr. has stumbled across a homeless man believed to be a famous boxer long considered to be dead.... After spending countless hours with the homeless man, Erik Kernan Jr. writes and sells his story before doing the all important fact checking. Unfortunately, it isn't until the story is published, that Erik Kernan Jr. learns the true identity of the homeless man and learns that "The Champ" really isn't who he really claims to be at all! With an impending lawsuit, Erik Kernan Jr. finds himself in a lot of hot water. In the midst of controversy, Erik Kernan Jr. seemingly finds the true meaning of life through self examination/evaluation and learns valuable life lessons through the process that change him forever.
The message of the movie is good. The storyline was a bit slow and predictable, but otherwise a good movie.
