Resurrecting the Champ (2007)

This Movie Is About: the true story about Battling Bob Satterfield who was once considered the top three boxer in the world and had the chance to be the number one contender. That was in the 50s and now is now, and right now The Champ (Samuel L. Jackson) as he so calls himself, is living out of dumpsters and getting beat up by cocky teenagers. It's not looking so good for The Champ until one night he runs into an young hot-shot sports reporter, Erik Kernan Jr. (Josh Harnett) whose father was the famous radio sports announcer, Erik Kernan. It is no doubt that Jr. has a lot to live up to and so far he hasn't done his name justice. That's when he bumps into The Champ outside a low tier boxing match he had to attend. They get to talking and Kernan soon discovers this bums try identity. With the help of his researcher at the local newspaper he works for, he goes after the real truth behind what happened to Battling Bob Satterfield and in the mean time, kick starting his career. Things are going fast until he finds out the real truth behind Battling Bob and the guy who claims to be him.

You Should Watch This Movie Because: this is the first movie where Samuel L. goes out on a limb and does something completely different. You've seen him the gangster/police role, always yelling at people and blowing shit up. Well, this time he doesn't even swear! But what fun is that you might ask? It's actually a lot of fun to see the interaction between a bum and a sports announcer whom are both down and almost out. They have to help each other get out of the ropes and the only way to do that is to trust each other a bit. This dynamic is interesting all the way through the film and it's amazing how much things change with the slightest reveals.

What's Hot: Other than Erik and The Champ duking it out with each other, there are plenty of times when they have to fight their own battles on their own turfs. The thing is that they both face similar situations but in very different situations if you know what I mean. If you don't then don't worry because I don't think I'm making any sense! The point is that their lives mirror each others even if they are super age difference and one of them lives on the street. They can relate to each other and as a result, we can relate to them. Erik goes through more of the challenges because he is the main character and we are introduced to his family. Or his ex-wife, Joyce (Katheryne Morris) and his six year-old son. Their relationship is what drives this film and gives it that extra dimension that pushes it beyond the ring and into real-life.

What's Not Hot: There are so many things going on and so many turns that it's easy to get lost in the story lines and I think the writers might have gotten lost a bit themselves! It's not that bad, in fact the story is actually quite dramatic for something that's real. The problem is that the family issue with Erik and his ex-wife, Joyce is not resolved properly. We don't know exactly what happened between the two of them before the movie started and we don't really know why they end up the way they do when the movie ends. Things just happen and we don't know why and a little explanation would have been nice. Other than that, the whole things happens a bit too fast which I guess is needed to cover up some of the legal logic that go missing through out this film. Everything just happens way to fast in this and people get away with murder! Not literary, unless. But yeah, things happen and sometimes it just feels like they happen so something big can happen later to make you forget the logic of the set up.

Last Comments: Resurrecting the Champ brings a lot to the table and the drama is thick and fast through out this true life story. There are problems with the logic but if you are willing to over-look that then this film will be a real hit for you. The whole dynamic between would be all-star boxer now living on the street and the hot-shot desperate reporter looking for a break is a great one and one that is thoroughly explored. The family issue is a nice touch and gives it a bit more depth even though some back story and clarification throughout the arc would have been appreciated. Overall, this is a great drama and definitely one of the best of 2007.

Breaking It Down:
Story: 7.8 (J.R. Moehringer: article, Michael Bortman & Allison Burnett: screenplay)
Direction: 7.0 (Rod Lurie)
Acting: 9.0
Cinematography: 7.0
Music/Sound: 6.0

Entertainment Value: 8.0 (not an average)