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After covering a late-night boxing match, struggling sports reporter Erik Kernan (Josh Hartnett) stops some teenagers from beating up a homeless old man who calls himself Champ (Samuel L. Jackson). As Erik helps the old man to his feet, Champ tells Erik that he’s Battlin’ Bob Satterfield, a boxing legend who, until now, was thought to be dead.
Erik sees Champ as his big break. For years, he’s struggled to be a journalist, always living under the shadow of his father, a famous boxing reporter and radio commentator who left when Erik was just a kid. But writing a story about Champ would finally pull him out of the trenches as a low-level sports reporter and give him the credit he deserves. So he starts spending more and more time with Champ. He befriends the old man and listens to his stories—and he begins writing the career-changing story of the boxing legend who lives on the streets.
Resurrecting the Champ tells an interesting story about honesty, trust, and friendship. There’s also a strong father-son side of the story, as it touches on Erik’s relationship with both his father and his six-year-old son—as well as Champ’s relationship with his son. For the most part, it’s a fascinating story—until the last half hour or so, when it gets a bit long-winded and preachy.
The film was based on an article that was written by J. R. Moehringer and published in the Los Angeles Times Magazine—and I found it interesting that the slowest, preachiest parts of the movie were the ones that had little or nothing to do with the original story. While I’ll agree that screenwriters do occasionally need to take some creative liberties to turn a true story into a good movie, Resurrecting the Champ would have been even better if it had stuck a little closer to the true story—instead of trying to complicate things by talking about Erik’s relationships with his son and with his estranged wife, Joyce (played by Kathryn Morris).
Hartnett is rather flat as the struggling journalist (and he really needs a haircut—and those scraggly sideburns have got to go). But, as I writer, I found that his role often hit home—especially those excruciating moments when Erik stares at a blank computer screen, waiting for something brilliant to appear. But when Jackson comes on the screen, you’ll forget that Hartnett is even there. While Samuel L. has been known lately for playing the one-dimensional, no-nonsense tough guy (like Neville Flynn in Snakes on a Plane), he plays Champ with heart and soul. He makes Champ lovable and fun-loving yet worn down from a tough job and an even tougher retirement. He’s funny, and he’s tragic. And when he’s on screen, you can’t take your eyes off him. In fact, before long, you’ll forget that Samuel L. Jackson is still there, under the makeup and dreadlocks. It’s just Champ—a down-and-nearly-out boxer who just needs a friend.
Though it would have been even better if it had been about a half hour shorter, Resurrecting the Champ still tells an interesting story about a fascinating character—and Jackson’s performance alone makes it worth checking out.
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