On the Big Board |
| Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
| 37/46 |
Les Winan |
Despite typically shoddy work from Rod Lurie, the cast carries the movie through. Why is Sam Jackson using the voice of Dave Chappelle's Tyrone Biggums crackhead character? |
| 115/214 |
Max Braden |
Not as bad as the reviews have hit it, probably because they're sticking too much to the true story and not the heart of the story. |
After playing at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007, the Yari Film Group believed that Resurrecting the Champ had been primed enough that it was ready for a theatrical release. A drama about overcoming obstacles and family, it features a solid cast that should carry it to some art house success.
Josh Hartnett stars as a Denver sports reporter named Erik, a young man who is on a downhill slide with regards to his writing. Since he is unable to distinguish his articles, his editor (Alan Alda) is unwilling to pull Erik off the boxing beat. Once a proud and popular sport, boxing simply has lost its prestige in the world of sports, which means that Erik is stuck in reporting limbo.
Erik's work life isn't his only problem. After recently separating from his wife, Erik is desperately trying to maintain a close relationship with his young son. He needs to find a way to help them to connect, but he's in such a downward spiral that moving in the right direction is a challenge.
One day, Erik comes across some rowdy college boys as they attack a homeless man. When he rescues the man, he recognizes him as Bob Satterfield (Samuel L. Jackson), a former boxing great known as Champ who had long been believed to be dead. As he begins work on the story of Champ's life and upsurge, Erik also takes the opportunity for some self-introspection that helps him to examine his relationship with both his son and wife. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
Vital statistics for Resurrecting the Champ |
| Main Cast |
Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett |
| Supporting Cast |
Teri Hatcher, Kathryn Morris, Dakota Goyo, Alan Alda, Rachel Nichols, Glenn Hunter, David Paymer, Ryan McDonald, Harry J. Lennix, Peter Coyote, Chris Ippolito, Stephen Strachan, Eugene Clark |
| Director |
Rod Lurie |
| Screenwriter |
Michael Bortman, Allison Burnett |
| Distributor |
Yari Film Group |
| Rating |
PG-13 |
| Screen Count |
1,602 |
| Also see |
Tom Houseman reviews Resurrecting the Champ
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Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture |
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