Resurrecting The Champ Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Based on a true story, that was based on a lie.
Up-and-coming sports reporter (Hartnett) rescues a homeless man ("Champ", Jackson) only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend believed to have passed away. What begins as an opportunity to resurrect Champ's story and escape the shadow of his father's success becomes a personal journey as the ambitious reporter reexamines his own life and his relationship with his family.
| Samuel L. Jackson | Champ |
| Josh Hartnett | Erik Kernan |
| Kathryn Morris | Joyce Kernan |
| Dakota Goyo | Teddy Kernan |
| Alan Alda | Ralph Metz |
| Rachel Nichols | Polly |
| Teri Hatcher | Andrea Flak |
| Kristen Shaw | Perlmutter |
| Nick Sandow | Rocky Marciano |
| David Paymer | Whitley |
| Harry J. Lennix | Robert Satterfield Jr. |
| Peter Coyote | Ike Epstein |
| Ryan McDonald | Kenny |
| Chris Ippolito | Jaws |
| Jameson Trenholm | Runt |
| Rod Lurie |
7.40 out of 10 (918 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Resurrecting the Champ
posted on 18 Aug 2009Really wonderfully crafted film.Excellent acting particularly by Sam Jackson, Josh Hartnett and Peter Coyote. Terrific ensemble cast that played well with one another. Teri Hatcher was a delight! The parallel stories of fathers and sons was most interesting and added sincerity and depth to the film. I especially liked Teddy and his interactions with his dad, Erik. The bedtime scene of truth telling was really poignant. Samuel Jackson did an amazing job as the Champ! Peter Coyote's transformation in to Ike Epstein was brilliant.K. Morrison did a terrific job as Joyce and captured the pathos and pains of a strained marital situation.A must see!
Hartnett brings movie down
posted on 29 Jul 2009I'm sure Josh Hartnett is a real nice kid, and my teenage daughters like him--but he ain't no actor. His attempt at acting is like his character's attempt at reporting: going through the motions with no spunk or soul. Don't blame him, though, blame the director who chose him. Samuel L. Jackson is awesome and convincing, as is Alan Alda as the tough old school editor, Peter Coyote as the wizened old boxing insider, Terri Hatcher revved up like on amphetamines, but Hartnett brings the movie down. The attempt at sentimentality with his separated wife and young son are weak and don't fly. Funny--the girl who plays his wife is good in Cold Case but not as strong here. I honestly think anyone save for Matt Dillon would have been a better casting choice as the lead.
A great feel good film for the entire family!
posted on 01 Jul 2009I was at the premier of Resurrecting the Champ at the Sundance Film Festival. This movie so far has been my favorite of the festival. The cast is great, but Sam Jackson does by far his best work to date. If he is not nominated for an award come award season next year I will be sad. The movie is solid with a good story that keeps you engaged. The movie becomes long in the second half and though Teri Hatcher plays a small supporting role, I felt the story could have done without her character all together. When you leave this movie, you will leave knowing you've just seen one of the best sport movies ever! You will want to rethink your relationship with your own father.
An Oscar for Sam
posted on 25 Jun 2009I'll be disappointed if mother f**king Samuel f**king Jackson doesn't win the Mother F**king Oscar for this role. He definitely deserves a trophy for his killer performance. This movie has all the magic - well written and directed, a very talented and diverse group of characters, and lessons about relationships, responsibility and honor that movies these days could use a little more of - and obviously, the world of professional journalism should heed. And even though fart jokes and movies about defending our planet against alien attacks do top my list of must sees - every once in a while it's good to see a movie that gets a little deeper and makes you think.
It's all about fathers and sons
posted on 21 Jun 2009I don't know why, but I really like sports movies. I am not a sports fans, per se, but I like movies about sports. This film ranks up with the best that I have seen.I do not say that for the sports angle, because that just framed the real story here. I wish I could repeat the story that writer Erik Kernan Jr. (Josh Hartnett) did at the end because it said it all. Fathers sometimes lie to their sons because they want them to think they are the king of the world, even when they are not. It's human nature. The problem is, that sometimes you get caught as Kernan did, and as the Champ (Samuel L. Jackson) did.This was a beautiful story about that relationship between fathers and sons and it was also a great story about being a man.It had some great performances besides the two mentioned: Kathryn Morris ("Cold Case") as Erik's wife and co-worker, Alan Alda as his boss, Teri Hatcher as a perfect Cougar, and Rachel Nichols (The Woods, Charlie Wilson's War).
what an amazing film-going experience
posted on 21 Jun 2009by far my favorite film of the year. intensely personal but the whole audience seemed completely captivated. the story manages to be both incredibly specific-- about the world of boxing and journalism but at the same time universal. everyone i went with related to the movie in a different but incredibly positive way. when i saw the trailer i thought it was going to be a sports movie (so I went!) but this is actually a great drama about love, friendship, family, and--no kidding--how to live a worthwhile life. I hope everyone i know would go see this movie. wish more movies were like this. wtf is wrong with Hollywood that we only get a movie like this once every few years? the boxing is amazing, the acting is amazing, the director is fantastic. GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
Nicely told human story
posted on 17 Jun 2009It's about what we want things to be, as opposed to how things are, and it's not a story about boxing, it's a story about relationships, specifically, father/son (and, to a lesser degree, work/ambition/romance). Josh Hartnet plays nicely against type and Samuel L. Jackson turns in an absolutely understated bravura performance that, IMHO, will snag him a slew of nominations for awards this coming season. I saw this at a screening and was considerably impressed. Looking forward to seeing how a touching, modest film on a very human scale competes against the colossal explosions and grim fantasies in the mall mega-plexes. PS -- I don't think there were any spoilers, but said there were because the warning AGAINST spoilers is so grim!
Best movie I've seen in a while.
posted on 07 Jun 2009I cant say I'm a huge movie buff or that I know a lot about movie reviewing. But I will say this. This movie was and absolute masterpiece in my eyes. It was nothing short of a breathtaking performance by Samuel L Jackson and to a smaller note Josh Hartnett. The plot the acting everything rolled into what i believe a stunning movie that deserves far more than what this movie has received. The only bad thing i can say is the ending was a bit sad for me after watching i wanted nothing but a true fairytale ending. After watching this it will be hard for me to see Samuel as anything but The Champ for a while. As said in the title I can only think of one word after just watching this movie ...WOW.
Terrible acting from the white people ruins the entire film.
posted on 19 Feb 2009It's odd- this movie follows a very strange formula. Excellent acting from the black people in the film, wretched terrible one dimensional cardboard acting from all the white people in the film.The story is an excellent story idea and a terrible script with worse directing. The camera work is very good with flashbacks done very smoothly which is always a danger with the "old champ" style story.Where this movie failed is focusing on all the white people's reaction to the old boxer man's story when the most important thing was the story itself, which was not fleshed out enough.Samuel Jackson's character was fascinating, and it was a real missed opportunity to follow HIM more often in the plot instead of following our pretty boy reporter everywhere. Life on the street is very rich and detailed in the minutia of weird and unusual things worth seeing that a boxer would be presented with- barely touched on. The director must be hot for the pretty boy to skip over the most interesting character to focus on the boring reporter instead.PLOT: A reporter bumps into a homeless man that is an old professional boxer. He tries to do his story in order to launch his career, but the story is more than meets the eye and it could destroy his career instead. Samuel Jackson stars as a high pitched talking' old boxer- the only interesting character in the entire film other than the fat drunk rich kid that wants to fight.Scenes of the reporter's family relationship were especially unnecessary waste of film that belonged in some other movie, not this story.
Another movie I wasted time on because of the good reviews on IMDb
posted on 09 Feb 2009This movie was an all around way too long film that should have been cut by 45 min. Best movie since shawshank, you have got to be kidding, it wasn't good at all. From the very 1st scene when we meet Samual Jackson's character and sam is using this annoying terrible voice, I thought to my self I should turn it off. I didn't turn it off because of the reviews, but I should have. JOsh Hartnett does his best with what little he had to work with and Sam would have been way better if he had used a normal voice. I watched this movie last night and wished that we hadn't wasted our precious time (while baby is sleeping) watching this film. They tried to weave a bunch of family crap in that just clutters up the movie. When I started the movie and saw Alan Alda in the opening credits I said oh boy but even he couldn't help.I plan not to recommend this to my family and friends, as well as obviously anyone looking to rent it. I was pretty much non-impressed with everything about this film. If you want to watch a good movie that is hilarious, check out Death at a Funeral. I mean even the name is funny because of course there is death at a funeral.
Split Decision
posted on 18 Jan 2009You might think Resurrecting the Champ is a boxing film, and in part you would be correct, but it is really about journalism and the ethics that should govern every newsperson every time. Sports reporter Erik (Josh Hartnett) meets former boxing champ Bob Satterfield (Samuel L. Jackson) at his home on skid row in Denver.Sensing a story that would move him out of mediocrity and the shadow of his legendary radio broadcaster father, Erik, pushing the champ to tell his story, lands on the cover of the magazine section, a part on Showtime, and into big trouble as Satterfield turns out not to be Satterfield.The film is strongest when it plays with the twin concepts of delusion and pride: Erik did not know the story was false, but so anxious was he to be successful, he did not perform due diligence in exploring the champ's truthful narration. The story of Erik's lie gets more complicated when he doesn't immediately inform his editor about the mistake. So the film moves from gross incompetence to corruption in a flash.The plot thickens with a parallel story about honesty between Erik and his son. In all, the film tries to parallel these several levels to make a treatise on honesty. It partially succeeds, but where it falls short is in the sympathy we should feel for the protagonist, Erik. Mix Hartnett's low-key acting style with the fact that this lying scribe earns no respect throughout, either in home or at work, and the audience may not care what happens to him, a recipe for a flaccid film.Add to that tepid stew the maudlin ending that tries to establish the primacy of the daddy/son motif, and you have an imbalance. The story should have been about Satterfield not Erik. Jackson would have taken the film to a TKO; as it is, Resurrecting the Champ is a metaphor for a split decision.
Jackson Is Fantastic Here In Yet Another Excellent Drama Involving Boxing
posted on 04 Jan 2009This was a very entertaining film with just the right mixture of action, drama, romance and intrigue. The latter - a big shock that occurs two-thirds of the way through the story - gives it its unique flavor. Otherwise, it's still a nice story of fathers-and-sons and the love and respect that's so important between the two of them. It also involves husbands and wives reconciling.I've seen Samuel L. Jackson in a lot of movies and so I am quite aware what a fine actor he is, so I wasn't surprised he was so good in this film. However, I was still stunned at his performance. It's definitely the best character I've seen him play, partly because of his sentimental role but more so simply because he dominated this film. Josh Hartnett was fine in the co-leading role of this story but it was Jackson who really got my attention in every scene.This is a very involving story that grabs you and won't let go. What is it about boxing stories, or stories that involve boxers, that make them so memorable? I don't know, but I've seen very few bad ones and certainly no boring ones. Many of them, like this one, have more of a human element than just being a sport story. Actually, there isn't a lot of ring action in this film, so I wouldn't label it a boxing film. As a drama, or whatever you want to label it, it's a fine movie and a good way to spend two hours.Highly recommended.
Resurrecting the Champ is amazing!!!!!!!
posted on 21 Nov 2008I just got home from the world premiere of Resurrecting the Champ at the Sundance Film Festival. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. The first half of the movie is mostly focused on Erik (Josh Hartnett) getting to know more about Champ (Samuel L. Jackson), a homeless man, who was formerly a well known pro boxer, for a news paper article. In a turn of events toward the end of the movie, Erik winds up having more in common with Champ's struggle in life as a child with his father and then as a father toward his son, than he thought he ever would. Erik has to re-evaluate his own relationship with his son, wife, and recently deceased father, and rectify some mistakes that were made in the past with each one of them. Everything ties together so beautifully at the end of the movie, it is very touching. The film has the perfect blend of humor, and seriousness. The casting was perfect for this movie from top to bottom and all of the acting is wonderful. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this movie does very well in theaters and also wins some big time awards. People who enjoy sports movies will love this, but there's much more depth to the movie than just that, so it's okay if your not the sports type. The deepest messages and themes of this movie have nothing to do with sports, and are centered more on making good decisions in life, and accepting that we're all going through life imperfectly. Go see it as soon as humanly possible!
A stellar movie!
posted on 07 Nov 2008We loved this movie. It was heartwarming without being sentimental and was well directed, well acted and the story was well crafted. Sam Jackson completely immersed himself in this role and gave an Oscar worthy performance and Josh Hartnett was subtle, thoughtful and honest. It's so nice to know that in the competing world of horror, shoot 'em up and comic book fests, there are still movies being made that are about the human drama which cause you to think, to be inspired but above all entertain. I thought this was eloquent, charming and had great humor. Go see this film! And check out the cameo's by Peter Coyote and Teri Hatcher....awesome.
I read the original story
posted on 14 Oct 2008I haven't seen the film yet, but I will. The original story, which was in the L.A. Times magazine, was some of the best journalism I ever read. "A story in 15 rounds." The themes are profound, and it revolves around pretending to be someone, and who the real champ is. The way the character of the man, or men -- and that includes the journalist -- peel open like an onion, and make men especially meditate on what it is to be a father, to have a father, and to be and have a son -- it's probably the only magazine article ever that made me cry like a baby. I hope the real reporter got a little bread for his effort.There's one thing especially that sticks out, all these years later, and that's the pivotal scene where the reporter describes his meetings with his own divorced father, which usually were in airports and the like, and it's so intriguing how the search for the truth about this hobo reveals so much about us all.
Good film but could have been a real contender
posted on 20 Sep 2008Again writing takes second place to star placement and soapiness. That being said the film attempts to be current and relevant but it pales in comparison to "Shattered Glass" which let us connect more with a up and coming, or want to be up and coming, journalist. In Resurrecting the Champ the two main characters, Eric and Champ aren't very well fleshed out; not enough for the audience to really care about them. Eric's wife Joyce and Alan Alda's editor character let you know in just a few well written lines who they really are, but there are no just well written lines for the supposed stars of the movie. Samuel plays his character well but we really don't truly understand even in the end how he got where he was. This story seems to be about fathers and their sons but in the end the three characters that should have connected, the ones in Eric's final story, really do not connect as much as we would have liked.
Hard to categorize, good movie for acting of Samuel Jackson.
posted on 29 Aug 2008Josh Hartnett is Erik Kernan, a sports writer for a newspaper but isn't in great favor as the movie begins. Seems his writing lacks character. Erik looks for a way to get something better, and perhaps jump to a bigger writing stage.One day while out and about he comes upon a group of young thugs beating up on an old man. Rushing to see what was happening, the young thugs go off and Erik finds Samuel L. Jackson as Champ. This old man claimed to be a rather well-known former contender that had been #3 in the world, but then faded into oblivion.Erik sees Champ as his meal ticket to a better writing career, and though a few hand-outs of money and food gets Champ to cooperate. Erik gets his big story and everyone is congratulating him. But then some start to doubt. "I thought he died 20 years ago." Was this fabulous story real, or was Erik duped? It is a good movie, and the character Samuel Jackson creates is just great, in an Oscar-caliber performance. Harnett holds his own.
Good Human Interest Story With Very Good Casting
posted on 11 May 2008Perhaps the worst thing a journalist can do outside of fabricate a story is to not properly authenticate it. If that story generates a massive response catapulting said journalist into national prominence it's safe to say, in all likelihood, professional suicide is guaranteed.One such journalistic story in error involved the strange saga of a boxer who masqueraded for many years as a one-time number three ranked heavyweight contender. Circumstance intervened that this "Champ" never got his big match and just disappeared. He was thought to be dead until the publication of a miraculous story revealed he was alive and living on the streets.This is the set up for "Resurrecting The Champ". It's a true story and though it is embellished with other back stories surrounding the main character that are not true, everything has a feel of authenticity that lends this movie a certain authority. It gets better too, in my opinion, due to a stellar cast. Samuel Jackson is quite touching in his portrayal of a man broken down to life's lowest existence level yet not being K.O.'d. Josh Hartnett's character is so imperfect, yet he is redeeming in his pure love for his son. I felt even if this part was artistic license it certainly did not detract from this movie's excellence. All the cast were spot-on perfect for this one. Recommended viewing for just about anyone's taste.
Resurrecting the Champ
posted on 03 May 2008Resurrecting the Champ is a movie co-starring Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett, in which struggling sports writer Erik Kernan (Hartnett) meets a homeless man who claims to be "Champ," a former boxing champion who many believe to be dead (Jackson). Kernan proposes to write a story about the Champ, hoping to give himself a much-needed career boost. At the same time he is writing the story, Kernan is also attempting to save his failing marriage and be a father his son can admire and be proud of.Hartnett is an award-winning actor who has most recently starred in The Black Dahlia and Lucky Number Slevin (2006). Jackson was nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role in Pulp Fiction (1994) and has been nominated for and won numerous other awards in his acting career. Resurrecting the Champ is directed by Rod Lurie who has also directed television series "Commander in Chief" (2005) and "Line of Fire" (2003-04).The actors in this movie play their roles convincingly, from Hartnett and Jackson to Dakota Goyo, who plays Hartnett's six-year-old son. Resurrecting the Champ works on a number of levels. It has boxing for those who are sports enthusiasts, it presents the issue of ethics in the work place, particularly journalism, but the movie can also appeal on a more all-inclusive level as we watch the characters struggle with the consequences of the lies they have told in order to live up to others' expectations.This movie can appeal to anyone who enjoys a straightforward drama. It has a number of angle--boxing, journalism, family, lies, redemption-- but focuses on a universal theme so that multiple types of audiences can be entertained.
This movie deserves more attention
posted on 24 Aug 2009This movie deserves more attention that what it has now (and distribution). Samuel L. Jackson played against type and did a wonderful job. It was also Josh Hartnett's best performance. The story is thought-provoking, heart-warming, and interesting. The writing is solid and the performances impressive across the board -- even the kid who played Hartnett's son was excellent. As a writer, I really appreciate the themes on telling the truth, fame, integrity, responsibilities, talent, etc. The father-son theme echoes throughout the entire film. Like Field of Dreams, this is a guy's chick flick. Take your husbands, sons or fathers and go see this movie.