Resurrecting the Champ (2007)

This is a sentimental movie with stellar performances. I dislike Josh Hartnett cause his character is usually cocky in many of his roles and that is what I see him as now, a cocky guy that gets irritating after a while, but in this role it's nice to see his character change although he lacks personality and kinda boring to watch. Samuel L. Jackson put on a great performance, his acting was a lot better than I thought. The story is basically a meeting between a ambitious journalist that wants his son to be proud of him and a boxing champ who climbed to be #3 in the world, reduced to being a homeless man scaling the streets in Denver, and they start a friendship but soon Josh Harnett's character starts to dig and find out all is not what it seems. The film shows the value of honesty, trust, vulnerability and consequences. This is a eloquent film with a good story that everyone can enjoy, unless your one of those viewers that just want things to blow up every minute. It was a good film but I think it dragged a bit and was a bit longer than necessary since at some points the film goes in a direction where the audience already consumed while not adding anything much, and the long running time doesn't add anything extra to Eric and the Champ to the point it fleshes them out very well either which makes the movie a bit slow, especially the champ cause it don't really show how he got to where he was, and so you just don't care for the characters as much and some of it is just dull while it don't explain any of the stuff the audience may have questions about. Despite the flaws it was a good movie, although Jackson carried the film.7.8/10

I'm sure Josh Hartnett is a real nice kid, and my teenage daughters like him--but he ain't no actor. His attempt at acting is like his character's attempt at reporting: going through the motions with no spunk or soul. Don't blame him, though, blame the director who chose him. Samuel L. Jackson is awesome and convincing, as is Alan Alda as the tough old school editor, Peter Coyote as the wizened old boxing insider, Terri Hatcher revved up like on amphetamines, but Hartnett brings the movie down. The attempt at sentimentality with his separated wife and young son are weak and don't fly. Funny--the girl who plays his wife is good in Cold Case but not as strong here. I honestly think anyone save for Matt Dillon would have been a better casting choice as the lead.

once again, i am writing a review of a movie that I would normally have not have bothered to because of the absurd ratings and reviews this is getting from the small number of people who did bother to hit the keyboard. This is a dull movie and in today's modern journalism era where everything can be checked on google in seconds, it does surprise me this was even a true story, maybe someone was being economical with the facts. Along with the central plot of the champion being alive and homeless and not dead as thought,there's this sub-plot supposedly linked to these events about hartnett's dad who was also a journalist but you never saw him and you're not even told fully how he supposedly "wronged" his son and then there's his relationship with his own son and separation from his wife, again that is not explained, this apparently all comes together at the end, well it didn't for me and it was all OTT and schmaltzy anyway. My problem with Josh Hartnett is he is a bore, I've never met him but I bet he's got no personality, I don;t think I've seen one film he;s in that I've liked. If there was a saving grace to this film, it was samuel jackson ( a man who definitely has a personality) who was excellent as the homeless, deceiving bum, there was also a good cameo from teri hatcher and she should definitely have had a couple more scenes. Overall, ignore the film of the year ratings on here, there's a reason you barely heard of this and it was in theatres for just a couple of weeks, simply it wasn't very good.

Resurrecting the Champ. A tale about men; drained of valor. The true story behind this movie is so admirable I wish I was the one who wrote the play. "It may all be a lie, but the movie is about true friendship, and the true bond between father and son." Whether you've had a good relationship with your father/son or bad, this movie will most likely bring tears to your eyes.I have always thought Josh Hartnett ("Erik Kernan") is a great actor, and I have always thought Samuel L. Jackson ("Champ") is a great actor. But I honestly can't tell if Samuel L. Jackson is playing his role remarkably good, or if Josh Hartnett is the one to make Samuel L. Jackson' role look good. Maybe they are, in fact, a perfect match for television.