Resurrecting the Champ

“Resurrecting the Champ,” inspired by a story written by LA Times writer J. R. Moehringer in 1997, seems to be about a writer and a washed-up boxer, but it’s really about “‘…fathers and sons and the honesty between them,’” says director Rod Lurie (“The Contender” and “The Last Castle”). Eric Kernan (Josh Hartnett) is a sports writer for a Denver newspaper who produces words, but doesn’t really write. Pushed by his editor to be a better writer, Eric stumbles on an inspiration when he encounters the Champ (Samuel Jackson), who claims to be a former heavyweight contender. After his story is published and Eric has received kudos from everyone, he discovers it isn’t accurate and Champ isn’t who he claims to be. This moral dilemma serves to highlight the lies Eric has told his 6-year-old son. Samuel Jackson is perfect as the raspy-voiced former boxer, who may or may not have taken one too many hits to the head. Harnett’s bland sincerity works for this role, but I’m still not sure about his acting ability. All in all, “Resurrecting the Champ” is worth seeing, for Jackson’s performance and Lurie’s direction. (As a former journalism teacher, I’m partial to Rod Lurie’s work. I used to use his movie reviews in Los Angeles Magazine as models for my journalism students.) (8/27/07)