A boxing flick, a father-son drama and the tale of an ethically challenged journalist all collide in Resurrecting the Champ, a movie that almost certainly would have benefited by honing at least one or two of its multiple personalities. Josh Hartnett stars as a mediocre sports writer who senses an opportunity for a career-making story when he befriends a local homeless man (Samuel L. Jackson) claiming to be a former heavyweight contender.
Jackson delivers a strong if somewhat gimmicky performance as the dilapidated ex-fighter — buried under a matted, gray wig and wrinkly latex, the actor slurs and grunts in a hoarse, defeated croak aimed squarely at an Oscar — and singlehandedly holds together the movie's disparate narrative strands by his sheer presence. In between Jackson's character relating the story of his life (complete with Raging Bull-lite fight flashbacks), we get periodic glimpses of Hartnett's father-son issues: He's both the insecure son of a famous father in whose shadow he toils, and the needy father of his own young son whose respect he desperately craves. There's also a beautiful, over-achieving wife who's kicked Hartnett out of the house, a boss who won't give the guy a break and one or two other clichés sneaking around the edges of the action.
The movie takes a few interesting turns when the writer's story is published and his career skyrockets, only to plummet just as quickly, but the film never settles on one element long enough to become truly satisfying. As Hartnett's star rises, Resurrecting the Champ eventually retrains its focus on the writer's touch-and-go relationship with his own integrity, but it doesn't dig half as deep here as a film like Shattered Glass and then the film is flitting off again, detouring to one of its various other storylines.
The movie hits many of the right notes, but remains almost entirely on the surface and largely in warm-and-fuzzy mode. Much like Hartnett the actor, Resurrecting the Champ is a handsome production but one without much weight.
Resurrecting the Champ (PG-13) Stars Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Teri Hatcher, Kathryn Morris, Rachel Nichols, Alan Alda and David Paymer. Opens Aug. 24 at local theaters. 3 stars
This article appears in Aug 22-28, 2007.