01.09.07 – By John Howard:
Well, I hope that one day, God willing, your son does for you what you just done for me. —Bob Satterfield (speaking to Erik Kernan)
I really enjoyed this uplifting movie. Even though a few parts I found to be overly sensitive and a bit too dramatic, all-in-all this movie left me feeling good and it left the people in the seats behind me crying. This is not a movie about boxing — this is a movie about the relationship between fathers and sons. “Resurrecting The Champ” gives a knockout performance. The cast is solid in their supporting roles. Samuel L. Jackson’s role as the down and out, homeless, ex-heavyweight fighter Bob Satterfield is sure to be remembered come Oscar time.
Sports-writer Erik Kernan (Josh Hartnett) is a graduate of Colombia University whose father was a famous radio announcer in the world of boxing. What becomes clear early on is Kernan’s father was a voice on tape and not at all a father that was there for his young son. Kernan is separated from his wife, but is determined to be there for his young son Teddy (Dakota Goyo). Teddy idolizes his father. Kernan embellishes his stories of famous sports celebrities to impress his son, but young Teddy is only interested in his own relationship with his father.
After covering a fight for a Denver newspaper, Kernan discovers Satterfield in the alley near the arena where the bout is being held. Kernan comes to the rescue of Satterfield. After finding out that this homeless man is Bob Satterfield and is referred to as “The Champ” by the locals on the street, Kernan pitches this story to his newspapers magazine section and the paper accepts his story — a huge boost to Kernan’s floundering career. The story goes to print and just as Kernan is basking in his glory, “The Champs” story is found to be more than what Kernan had expected.
This 2007 motion picture is a fictionalized story based on a non-fiction article about a reporter named J.R. Moehringer who finds a homeless man claiming to be Bob Satterfield and writes an article about him in the Los Angeles Times Magazine.
“Resurrecting The Champ” was directed by Rod Lurie (The Contender) and was written by Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Alan Alda, Kathryn Morris, and Teri Hatcher. 111 minutes; it’s rated PG-13 for some violence and brief language.