| Resurrecting the Champ | 
 enlarge | Director: Rod Lurie
Actors: Teri Hatcher, Samuel L. Jackson, Kathryn Morris, David Paymer, Alan Alda
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $1.05
You Save: $18.93 (95%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 9350
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 112
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2249549D
UPC: 024543495499
EAN: 0024543495499
ASIN: B000YDMPC4
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Release Date: April 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 10/14/2008 Run time: 111 minutes Rating: Pg13
Amazon.com
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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 Boring November 19, 2008
Couldn't get into the movie at all. I wish I would have saved my money
 Mediocre Feel Good Movie November 18, 2008
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.
 Jackson Is Fantastic Here In Yet Another Excellent Drama Involving Boxing November 15, 2008
This 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.
 "HOW YOU FEELIN' TODAY CHAMP?" OH.. ABOUT 40 %! .....2 1/2 STARS! October 12, 2008
It's a shame to let such a good premise end up being such a mediocre movie! 'Resurrecting The Champ' could have been a great film, but it ends up feeling about as deep as the puddle of u r i n e "the champ" leaves in his alley every night! We never really learn anything about him and the story is more about a mediocre journalist trying to prove himself. Josh Hartnett lacks the acting skills to do anything with his role and there are a number of side stories that are distracting and the time could have been used developing a real story about this "down and out" boxer. Samuel Jackson turns in a good performance and it's the first time I can remember he wasn't shouting his lines at everyone in a film! It's OK for a rental, but I wouldn't waste my time on a second viewing.
Redefining Success and Failure October 5, 2008
While only the true diehard boxing fan is likely to be familiar with Bob Satterfield, the thunderous-punching, small heavyweight of the 1950's who missed being heavyweight champion by a hair's breadth, the movie actually has almost nothing to do with the great fighter. At first glance virtually everyone contemplating watching this movie, myself included, has already imagined this movie from beginning to end before popping it in their DVD player, certain that they are about to watch the gripping saga of a talented sports hero/celebrity reduced to the inexcusable ravages of homelessness, yet another lesson on the intolerance of our society for those it perceives as "failures" generally and of the disabled specifically. You are prepared, no doubt, to witness the heart-tugging saga of a poor soul whose brain (and/or body) has been debilitated by too many punches, and the heartless society that kicks him when he is down because they never had the courage to do so when he was in his prime. Well, that IS a great story, and is an unfortunate true story for many ex-boxers (see Sam Langford, one of the greatest fighters of all time, e.g.), but that is not this story.
The fortunate viewer is treated instead to a story about the complexity and relativity of success and failure, contrasting an admixture of various failures and successes and the complete lack of a nexus between material reward for true success, and the punishment of destitution for true failure. The movie graphically shows the difficulty, and often, injustice, of applying such absolute final judgments as "success" and "failure" to an entire life, and how success/failure are in constant flux along the failure/success spectrum, not fixed finalities.
This is Samuel L. Jackson's best performance. His character is tragically aware of his state of variable reduced capacity, and even candidly rates it when asked how he is doing! Jackson also hauntingly and extremely accurately portrays how the mentally disabled often have periods of concise awareness and focus, and during those moments Jackson's eyes change accordingly to reflect The Champ's heightened awareness.
Jackson's great performance and a good storyline that you cannot predict or anticipate (and I have not given it away) are the two main reasons to see this very good movie.
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