classicsoncall The surprising thing about this boxing story is that it's not really a boxing story per se. To use another sports film analogy, it's similar to the way "Field of Dreams" is not so much about baseball when you come right down to it, but the way a man relates to the legacy of a father who's no longer around but still manages to cast a shadow over his own life. The twist in the story occurs when Samuel L. Jackson's character turns out to be someone completely different from the celebrated sports figure he's presumed to be when first discovered by newspaper writer Erik Kernan Jr. (Josh Hartnett). The unveiling of Battlin' Bob Satterfield (Jackson) as a fraud becomes the undoing of Kernan's career as well, forcing him to embark on his own journey of introspection and self discovery. Putting politics aside, Jackson gives an exceptional performance here, much unlike just about any other character I've seen him portray. Though Hartnett was OK for his role, I could visualize a number of other actors who would have handled the job capably. Alan Alda injects a much needed conservative challenge to Hartnett's character to start taking his career seriously and produce something of value, and even though she portrayed a sleaze of a film producer, Teri Hatcher provided just the right touch in the film to jolt Kernan's career back on track to some semblance of respectability. The young kid playing Kernan's son (Dakota Goyo) hit the right notes when he needed to, and was most effective when keeping it real for his Dad.

chris1987 I had saw this movie advertised but never bothered with it.Then i decided to give it a go as i was bored.It was a heartfelt and very touching story.It was sad to see a former champion who had lost everything and was getting his chance to get back in the spotlight.Samuel L Jackson really stood out in this movie.Even Josh Hartnett gave a decent performance.Rachael Nichols stood out as well i thought.Teri Hatcher of Desperate Housewives gave a nice performance.Also all the cast were great acting in this movie.I really enjoyed it.Its sad to think that former champions and heroes really fall apart and that sometimes there is not life after the ring in this case.I could see that the actors and actresses were actually trying their best in this movie to give the best performances that they could give.

omarh92 Resurrecting The Champ isn't your typical boxing movies like Rocky, Cinderella Man nor Million Dollar Baby. It is more of a personal story without a fight in the ring but rather a fight on personality, confidence and success. One of the best part of this movie is Samuel L. Jackson's role as "The Champ." When we think of Samuel, first thing that pops in our head are, The eternal all time badass mother****er, a man built with guts made of steel and endless slang of swear words with comedy naturally in them. In this movie however we see a completely different side of Samuel L. Jackson, a side which could bring a tear in the eye, a side that proves he is just more than a movie badass, a side of him actually acting instead of him being himself. This is a side of Sam Jackson we rarely see and a side we must treasure and remember. Sam Jackson makes 70% - 80% of this movie magnificent. The rest of the actors/actresses did very well too working with the plot based on a true story with fantastic emotional connection with the audience in all ways. This movie deserves a Nine perhaps if they only focused more on details of situations and problems but an Eight still gives this superb movie a high ranking which is also Samuel L. Jackson's best performance YET!

sddavis63 "Resurrecting The Champ" is a solid movie that - if I might use a boxing metaphor - may not pack a punch, but nevertheless has an impact on those who view it. It has surprises packed within it - it's not exactly what you expect it to be and it turns out to go in a direction that you weren't expecting because it seemed to be heading in completely different directions. And in the end it turns out to be a pretty moving and powerful statement about the importance of honesty in life and how we all need to live (and die) with integrity, honest about ourselves and able to be proud of ourselves.You get the impression (from the title and from the early direction of the movie) that this is going to be a story about a down on his luck ex- boxer and how he got there. As the homeless ex-boxer, Samuel L. Jackson was good. He's "discovered" one night by Erik Kernan (Josh Hartnett) - a reporter covering the local boxing beat for the Denver Times who dreams of bigger things and is frustrated both by his limited role with the paper and by having to live up to the reputation of his late father - a famous sportscaster. Kernan stumbles upon the homeless man after covering a fight, discovers that he's a former contender named Bob Summerfield (but who goes by the name of Champ) and decides that this is his path to greater things - he'll write a human interest story about this guy that will get him national attention. You anticipate that this is going to become the story of Champ, an anticipation that seems to come true when we start to be introduced to some flashback scenes of Champ's career, but the movie finally takes a completely unanticipated twist. After publishing the story and getting lots of attention and job offers, it's discovered that Champ isn't who he's been claiming to be. He's a fraud, and Kernan didn't investigate enough about his background, which leads to all sorts of trouble for both he and his paper.Here's the key to the movie - it's not a boxing story and not a flashback to Champ's career and not the story of Kernan's rise to fame. It's a moral lesson about honesty. Kernan's been lying to his 6 year old son for years about the celebrities he claims to know (John Elway, for example, who Kernan tells his son he's best friends with but doesn't really know, and who makes a cameo in the movie in a very awkward scene for Kernan and his son). He's living a fantasy, and then gets taken in by somebody else whose whole life is a fantasy (Champ has been impersonating Summerfield for years.) Everything comes crashing down for Kernan, because everything in his life has been a lie.The end of the movie becomes an ode to honesty. After being outed for his fraudulent story, Kernan still has to suck it up and attend career day at his son's school with all the kids knowing that his big story was a lie; he has to face the real Summerfield's son; he has to try to rebuild his relationship with his son. Meanwhile, Champ faces a confrontation of his own near the end of the movie with a local tough guy who's taken pleasure over the years in beating him up - finally telling the guy who he really is, decking his tormentor and declaring himself (as I presume he was) the "golden gloves champ of California.) Champ then dies, apparently having come to peace with himself and his life and having rediscovered his own pride in the things he had accomplished.I wouldn't call this an especially powerful movie. It's a good movie and a solid movie which basically holds up the importance of the value of honesty and the importance of taking pride in who you are - whatever your circumstances in life. It's backed by solid performances from the leads, and a good supporting cast featuring a well known actor such as Alan Alda as Kernan's boss at the paper and lesser known actors who offer their own good performances. All in all, it's very well done. (7/10)