This movie deserves more attention that what it has now (and distribution). Samuel L. Jackson played against type and did a wonderful job. It was also Josh Hartnett's best performance. The story is thought-provoking, heart-warming, and interesting.

The writing is solid and the performances impressive across the board -- even the kid who played Hartnett's son was excellent. As a writer, I really appreciate the themes on telling the truth, fame, integrity, responsibilities, talent, etc. The father-son theme echoes throughout the entire film. Like Field of Dreams, this is a guy's chick flick. Take your husbands, sons or fathers and go see this movie.

Currently, "Resurrecting the Champ" has a relatively low score of 6.7 on IMDB. I say low because, oddly, 6.7 is about average and the film is far better than an average movie. It's just too good for such a paltry score.

The movie is a dramatizing of real events. Not surprisingly, Hollywood made a few changes to 'improve' the story....in other words, to make it more cinematic. Fortunately, these changes are minor.

A writer (Josh Hartnett) meets a homeless guy (Samuel L. Jackson) who apparently is the ex-boxing great, Bob Satterfield. The writer's career is struggling and he wants to make a splash...and he eventually comes up with the idea of doing a 'where are they now' feature on the guy. The article turns out to be a sensation and the LA Times is thrilled. But, being a movie, there of course is MUCH more to the story and I don't want to say more, as it would ruin the suspense.

The acting is quite nice here but the best thing about the film is the writing. The story is very interesting and engaging....and well worth your time even if you are NOT a boxing fan...which, I am not.

Young sports writer Erik Kernan Jr. (Josh Hartnett) for the Denver Times finds homeless Champ (Samuel L. Jackson) after he's beaten by some kids. He claims to be Bob Satterfield, a former heavyweight contender. His boss Ralph Metz (Alan Alda) isn't happy with his bland writing. He's separated with fellow writer Joyce Kernan (Kathryn Morris). He interviews secretly with magazine editor Whitley and in desperation, comes up with a pitch to write about Satterfield.

Josh Hartnett is living off of his good looks and it's very douchy. Luckily for him, it fits his character quite well. Jackson is compelling as the down and out fighter. His ragged voice is great. The twist takes the movie from a sappy feel-good story into someplace a little bit deeper.