Release Date: April 8th, 2008
Running Time: 112 minutes

The Film

I am a huge boxing fan so I was pretty amped to check out Resurrecting the Champ. Samuel L. Jackson as a faded boxing star turned homeless man seemed like a winning combination, and why not, it worked for him as a faded musician turned bum in The Caveman’s Valentine. While the film has its roots in a true, riveting story, it struggles in the execution and is closer to a controversial decision than a knockout.

I apologize for the horrid boxing pun above, but I don’t get to review many boxing titles so I had to milk the opportunity. The film stars Josh Hartnett as struggling sports writer Erik Kernan, Jr. He is overshadowed by his father’s success as a sports broadcaster and berated by his editor (Alan Alda) for not having any passion in his work. To top off his miserable existence, he is separated from his wife and has been reduced to lying to his son about knowing famous sports figures. Kernan isn’t exactly the most heroic leading man.

One evening Kernan stops a group of punks from beating on a homeless man (Jackson). The man then admits that he is a former boxing star from the 1950s named Bob Satterfield. While Kernan does cover boxing, he hasn’t heard of Satterfield and doesn’t place much stock in the meeting. Everything changes when Kerner has a meeting with the editor of the paper’s insert Sunday magazine. He pitches a bunch of ideas that are all shot down so he grasps at straws and mentions the Satterfield encounter. Whitley is floored because his father loved Satterfield and thought he was dead. Thus Kerner gets his opportunity to write an incredible human interest story. Kerner spends time with Satterfield to gather all the information needed to construct his story. The article is a massive hit and opens new doors for him, most notably a job at a big Showtime boxing event. However, a revelation about Satterfield threatens to bring his newfound success crashing down.

I really wanted to like Resurrecting the Champ. Unfortunately I just couldn’t connect with Kerner. He makes a lot of questionable journalistic choices that border on the implausible. Also, if the story is supposed to be a biopic, why not use the real name of Pulitzer Prize winning writer J.R. Moehringer? My understanding is that the film took too many liberties fictionalizing the events to the point where it basically ruins what was naturally a very intriguing story.

I encourage boxing fans and Samuel L. Jackson enthusiasts to give the film a rental just to form your own opinions–just don’t expect the next great boxing film.

The DVD

The video is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The incomplete screener copy was ridden with grain and compression artifacts so it is impossible to make any assessment on the final product.

The audio is offered in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound with English/Spanish subtitles. The 5.1 track is above average, featuring a fair amount of positional audio and a balanced mix ensuring you won’t have to fiddle with your volume levels.

The Extras

Commentary is offered by Director Rob Lurie. It is a standard effort that covers the usual production topics as well as providing some decent background information on the events that inspired the film.

A 4-minute making-of featurette has interviews with the cast and Lurie, but ultimately it is too short to amount to anything more than a promotional piece.

Six minutes of interviews are offered with: Rod Lurie, Samuel Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Alan Alda, Kathryn Morris, and Stunt Coordinator Eric Bryson. Again, these interviews are far too short to offer much information.

Previews are available as well.

Final Thoughts

Resurrecting the Champ is a mixed bag featuring a few good performances that are offset with shaky storytelling. It’s a rental for boxing fans, but that is about it.