Resurrecting the Champ (Rod Lurie, 2007)

A pleasant, modest story that just spends too much time awkwardly stumbling around like its protagonist, Resurrecting the Champ is about a sportswriter (Josh Hartnett) who uncovers a former heavyweight fighting contender now living on the streets. Nicknamed “The Champ” and long believed dead, the writer sells Champ on the story idea as a potential return to glory for the browbeaten pugilist and a chance to again be a celebrity in the community, but is clearly more interested in parlaying the story into his own high-end magazine job and chance to climb out of his famous father’s shadow.

Samuel L. Jackson throws his Caveman’s Valentine dreads back on to play Champ and adopts an exasperated, gasping-for-air voice that echoes the hardships of his character. He’s out of touch, maybe a little bit crazy and walks around as if he’s shimmying into the ring, always up on his toes. But he’s also genuinely endearing, disarmingly funny and easily the best reason to watch Resurrecting the Champ.

Unfortunately the film is a bit sloppy, and supporting star Alan Alda nails it when he throws some of Harnett’s news copy back at him and tells him, “It lacks personality.” It could be considered an extended commentary on Hartnett’s character in the film as well. Plus, there’s pacing problems. The film revolves around moral ambiguities, mostly about father’s trying to impress their sons, and doesn’t quite know if it wants to be an uplifting feel-good story or not, and ends up choppy and lurching towards the end.

Jackson makes it worth checking out, but it’s no return to glory for “The Champ”.