Resurrecting the Champ (2007)

58% of critics liked it
(118 reviews)
60% of users liked it
(29,156 ratings)

Director and co-screenwriter (along with Chris Gerolmo, Allison Burnett, and Michael Bortman) Rod Lurie tells the uplifting tale of a sports writer who almost lost it all before stumbling into the story of a lifetime in this uplifting sports-themed drama starring Josh Hartnett and Samuel L. Jackson.… More Director and co-screenwriter (along with Chris Gerolmo, Allison Burnett, and Michael Bortman) Rod Lurie tells the uplifting tale of a sports writer who almost lost it all before stumbling into the story of a lifetime in this uplifting sports-themed drama starring Josh Hartnett and Samuel L. Jackson. Erik (Hartnett) is a Denver-based sports writer whose prose is dull and whose marriage is failing. Not only is Erik having a difficult time dealing with his stubborn editor Metz (Alan Alda) - who refuses to take the suffering scribe off of the boxing beat - but the pain of being separated from his young son has weighed heavier on Erik's conscience than he could have ever imagined. When Erik sees a local homeless man (Samuel L. Jackson) being violently assaulted by a gang of sadistic street toughs, he instinctively comes to the suffering man's rescue. As fate would have, Erik discovers that the nondescript homeless man is actually the former boxing champion Battling Bob Satterfield, whom many sports fans had assumed dead. Now driven to tell the story that may establish him as a successful sports writer, Erik gradually begins to make the transformation from ordinary man to extraordinary champion - largely by turning inward and by reexamining his relationship with his own son. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Rod Lurie
Written By: Michael Bortman, Allison Burnett
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Aug 24, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Feb 26, 2008
Studio: Yari Film Group Releasing

Critic Reviews

Tom Charity, CNN.com
Resurrecting the Champ is authentic in its newsroom scenes, and appropriately concerned at how entertainment value trumps diligent reporting.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Despite one great performance and an intriguing setup, the work is crippled by another performance that's nowhere near great, and a storyline that makes it impossible to root for the leading man.
Joanne Kaufman, Wall Street Journal
The movie itself -- which deals (not very interestingly) with the issue of journalistic integrity and (very predictably) with father-son relationships -- doesn't pack much of a wallop.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
While Resurrecting the Champ seems to be just what you expect, it's only when you've let your guard slip that you realize it's hiding something altogether more forceful in its glove.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Resurrecting the Champ is enjoyable in the moment -- But it's the complexity of Lurie's moral universe that makes it linger in the mind.
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
The whole thing is a mismatch from the start.
Tony Macklin, Fayetteville Free Weekly
Resurrecting the Champ is a movie I was going to recommend. It was contrived and dopey, but it seemed like pleasant entertainment. Then came the terrible last ten minutes when it casts itself on the rancid junk heap of hokum.
Heather Huntington, ReelzChannel.com
Nothing can wrench this movie from the grip of a saccharine, formulaic script full of plattitudes and divided allegiances.
Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media
Reporter's ethics get KO'd in bland boxing tale.
Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
Pardon me for being offended when a flick revolving around the question of journalistic ethics takes so many liberties with the truth simply to spin a tall tale designed to tug on unsuspecting heartstrings.
Jeff Bayer, The Scorecard Review
Even though the melodrama gets ratcheted up at the end, there were plenty of moments I found myself cheering for the Champ.
Jules Brenner, Filmcritic.com
a contender that doesn't quite take a championship belt.
Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
If only the film had stayed out of the bedroom and in the bowels of the boxing world, this small gem could have been an unqualified knockout.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
Resurrecting the Champ is a specialty of director Rod Lurie, a civics lecture disguised as a film.
Matt Kelemen, Las Vegas CityLife
Success, adulation, temptation, disgrace, redemption -- it's all there, expressed mostly through the predictably non-expressive Hartnett.
Bruce Bennett, Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
A two-star execution of a four-star goal, and is therefore worthy of a viewing.
Ron Wilkinson, Monsters and Critics
Slow in the father-son heart to heart parts, Champ brings it all back home in the end with a great story line and saving performances by Jackson, Alda and Hatcher
Michael A. Smith, Nolan's Pop Culture Review
Like a championship fight, a movie is often reviewed in rounds. This being said, I think I'll go the safe route and call the film a draw.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Daniel P

Among the movies I've most wanted to see in the last few years, Resurrecting the Champ was a real letdown. The story is supposed to be about a journalist and a boxer, and yet - for some reason - the family story is pushed to the forefront. I don't care about the man's… More
Among the movies I've most wanted to see in the last few years, Resurrecting the Champ was a real letdown. The story is supposed to be about a journalist and a boxer, and yet - for some reason - the family story is pushed to the forefront. I don't care about the man's marriage, and I don't care about his son. Tell me about the journalist and the boxer. Slow, melodramatic and cringe-worthy in places (double whammy: bad dialogue AND bad acting!), this film was not half as good as it could have been.
paul s

This film took me to unexpected places. I figured I was in for another formula fight film, but, in spite of an awesome performance from Jackson, the film isn't really about the ex boxer at all. The meat of the film is the resurrecion of the reporter, who is trying to live with… More
This film took me to unexpected places. I figured I was in for another formula fight film, but, in spite of an awesome performance from Jackson, the film isn't really about the ex boxer at all. The meat of the film is the resurrecion of the reporter, who is trying to live with the ghost of his famous father, as he deals with not only that, but professional ethics. The film is just a bit ambiguous about how much due dillegence he put in (or should have), but when all signs were leading to gold, I can see where you wouldn't want to stop the speeding train to question certain aspects and coincidences a bit deeper. This story kept me in my seat and watching Jackson as the punch drunk "champ" was a wondrous view into method acting - all the little mannerisms and especially the somehow energetic shuffle that achingly told of a body that is simply unable to do and go where the brain tells it to.
Bruce B

I'm not much of a Sam Jackson fan but he did a good job in this movie. Not really a sports flix, Good Story Base. Worth the buy or the Rent, Will add to my collection.
Manu G

Pretty good movie, I really liked it. When up-and-coming sports writer Erik Kernan saves a homeless man from a scrape with a group of rowdy college kids, he unwittingly finds himself face to face with no ordinary bum, but Champ, the one-time boxing great Bob Satterfield. What begins… More
Pretty good movie, I really liked it. When up-and-coming sports writer Erik Kernan saves a homeless man from a scrape with a group of rowdy college kids, he unwittingly finds himself face to face with no ordinary bum, but Champ, the one-time boxing great Bob Satterfield. What begins as a story resurrecting a once-great man turns into an incredible journey, and an opportunity for Erik to reexamine his own life, his relationship with his young son and his recently separated wife.
Jeff B

Any screenwriter who has researched the sport of boxing could instantly tell moviegoers their favorite fight flick, be it Raging Bull, Requiem for a Heavyweight, or Million Dollar Baby. Explaining the “why,” however, would prove a less quick-footed answer—-due in part to the argument… More
Any screenwriter who has researched the sport of boxing could instantly tell moviegoers their favorite fight flick, be it Raging Bull, Requiem for a Heavyweight, or Million Dollar Baby. Explaining the “why,” however, would prove a less quick-footed answer—-due in part to the argument that said movies are not fight flicks but, rather, a bio-pic/character study/morality play. The same could be said of valiant effort Resurrecting the Champ, which is more an essay on journalistic integrity than boxing. Though not a good fight flick (or good flick period, for that matter), this fumble-footed “true story” fights hard to win. Rounded out with too many questionable choices (direction, editing, casting), however, the movie ends up on the ropes. In the PG-13-rated Resurrecting the Champ, a struggling sports writer (Hartnett) believes that a homeless man (Jackson) could be a once-great boxing champion. From the outset, Hartnett’s sports writer is accused of having no actual substance or style behind his words, which, ironically, also defines the underlying problem with Resurrecting the Champ. Though based on an actual experience, nothing smacks of authenticity. Supporting players Alan Alda and David Paymer act rings around Hartnett, Jackson’s forced nasally delivery astounds more than endears, the script gives children the voice of a young adult, and - worse yet - the movie doesn't know when to end. Director Rod Lurie even includes an entire scene starring Teri Hatcher as a TV exec who outright states the plainly obvious moral dilemma facing the writer—-a scene that clearly could have been excised. Bottom line: Fair to middleweight.
Sol C

The film is a little predictable, but the performances of Sam Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Kathryn Morris, and Alan Alda make this film worth seeing. Even though, The Soloist hasn't come out yet, this film sort of reminds me of what that film might be like. I am hoping that will be a… More
The film is a little predictable, but the performances of Sam Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Kathryn Morris, and Alan Alda make this film worth seeing. Even though, The Soloist hasn't come out yet, this film sort of reminds me of what that film might be like. I am hoping that will be a better film than this one.
Fascade F

As much as I am a phenomenal boxing fanatic...This was a pretty good drama...along the lines of "Million Dollar Baby"...with the feel bad for the broken professional fighter theme in it...it was pretty good. This time a investigative reporter has it's turn on hard it… More
As much as I am a phenomenal boxing fanatic...This was a pretty good drama...along the lines of "Million Dollar Baby"...with the feel bad for the broken professional fighter theme in it...it was pretty good. This time a investigative reporter has it's turn on hard it is to report..."the news"... See it!
Joseph E

Great actiung, and superb direction lead this film into the ring of gold.
William G

Journalist-boxer redemption tale grows mawkish in final act.
Chosen 7

Compelling film, great performance by Samuel L. Jackson..he should have received an Oscar nomination for this film. Josh Hartnett put on a good performance as well.
ken j

This movie follows the story of a up and coming sports writer who just wants to make a break for himself and get out of the shadow of his late father who he is named after and was a famous sports broadcaster in comes Samuel L Jackson as a homeless down on his luck ex boxer who he… More
This movie follows the story of a up and coming sports writer who just wants to make a break for himself and get out of the shadow of his late father who he is named after and was a famous sports broadcaster in comes Samuel L Jackson as a homeless down on his luck ex boxer who he saves from some kids trying to beat him up the writer played by Josh Harnett decides to do a story on him only to come and find out this ex boxer has some secrets of his own. Really well done drama worth checking out for the performance by Jackson
Jason R

Really good performances from Josh Hartnett and Samuel Jackson. I loved the story, it was really good movie that slipped under my radar but I am glad I got around to seeing it.
Leo L

A good movie with an interesting story plot. Fine performances by Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett. If you dig drama, this is it.
Moe E

I must admit that Resurrecting the Champ literally knocked me out somewhere around the end of the 7th round of a bout scheduled for 10. I hung in for as long as I could, but eventually I was overcome by fatigue. The one-two combination of Josh Harnett's ringside, rope-a-dope,… More
I must admit that Resurrecting the Champ literally knocked me out somewhere around the end of the 7th round of a bout scheduled for 10. I hung in for as long as I could, but eventually I was overcome by fatigue. The one-two combination of Josh Harnett's ringside, rope-a-dope, sports reporter and Samuel L. Jackson collecting a paycheck as the homeless, ex-champ was too much for this fighter to take. I'd suggest you start your endurance training now if you plan to get in the ring with these two anytime soon.