Up-and-coming sports reporter comes to the aid of a homeless man who claims he is a former heavy weight title contender. Seeing a chance to redeem his struggling career, the writer's story of the champ's life raises questions about the past that will threaten all he holds dear.
Despite one great performance and an intriguing setup, the work is crippled by another performance that's nowhere near great, and a storyline that makes it impossible to root for the leading man.
The Scorecard Review
March 03, 2008
Even though the melodrama gets ratcheted up at the end, there were plenty of moments I found myself cheering for the Champ.
The movie itself -- which deals (not very interestingly) with the issue of journalistic integrity and (very predictably) with father-son relationships -- doesn't pack much of a wallop.
While Resurrecting the Champ seems to be just what you expect, it's only when you've let your guard slip that you realize it's hiding something altogether more forceful in its glove.
Resurrecting the Champ is a specialty of director Rod Lurie, a civics lecture disguised as a film.
Fayetteville Free Weekly
February 02, 2009
Resurrecting the Champ is a movie I was going to recommend. It was contrived and dopey, but it seemed like pleasant entertainment. Then came the terrible last ten minutes when it casts itself on the rancid junk heap of hokum.