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The best sports movies in history have always found a way to artfully blend real-life issues with the love of game. Such heady topics as overcoming handicaps, dealing with weaknesses, and even finding true love, are oft-explored themes in the genre. But even the best can only manage one major issue per film. And that's where Resurrecting stumbles. Screenwriters Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett have constructed a sad story about father-son relationships, marital challenges, telling the truth, and journalistic ethics - all worthy topics. Unfortunately not one is completely fleshed out here, leaving a mess of a story, with only one interesting character and an odd plea for fathers not to lie to their children. The "true" part of based on a "true" story, comes from the life of J.R. Moehringer, a former L.A. Times sportswriter who once found a homeless man claiming to be "Battling" Bob Satterfield, a once-upon-a-time ranked heavyweight boxer but now widely believed dead. Josh Hartnett plays Moehringer's alter ego, renamed Erik Kernan for the film and this time employed by the Denver Times. Realizing that he may be sitting on the story of his career, Kernan finally persuades the vagrant to grant an interview. The resulting story not only launches Kernan's career into the stratosphere, it also raises his stature in the eyes of his young son Teddy (Dakota Goyo), to whom he's already told more than a few half-truths and exaggerations, such as once playing a round of golf with Muhammad Ali and being an acquaintance of John Elway.
Resurrecting the Champ has some really good stuff going on that sometimes flirts with greatness. There's a brilliant story in there trying to get out, but unfortunately it just isn't told properly. The only character we really care about – Jackson's - is cast aside like the cardboard box he would certainly call his home, leaving us with the feeling that in the hands of a different director and with a more refined script, the film could have been a true contender. Their hearts are in the right place, but unfortunately the execution falls short. Jackson's "champ" is not the best character he's ever played, but it is certainly one of his most nuanced and fun to watch. Some of the film's best moments are when he's on the screen, and like Slingblade's Carl, we just "like the way he talks." As the proceedings come to a close, we get the feeling that the real story to be told is that of "Champ." We're given enough to suggest there's something really meaty there. But soon enough, we're on to the film's real message that recommends we resist the temptation to brag to our children about our own sports triumphs – or something like that. Frank Wilkins This review also posted at Reeltalk Reviews.   CommentsScreen formats: Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Number of discs: - 1- Keepcase Packaging
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