Resurrecting the Champ
Encyclopedia
Resurrecting the Champ is a 2007
American
drama
film
directed by Rod Lurie
and written by Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett, based on the L.A. Times Magazine
article by J.R. Moehringer. It stars Samuel L. Jackson
, Josh Hartnett
and Alan Alda
, among others. It was filmed in Calgary
, Alberta
, Canada
. The film is set in Denver, Colorado
. This film centers around the life and career of professional boxer Bob Satterfield
.
and Canada. On a very limited release, it took $69,854 in the rest of the world.
. One reviewer praised the newsroom scenes as "authentic" and noted that the film was above all "about fathers and sons, a male weepie" rather than being primarily focused on journalistic ethics or sports.
reporter Dana Parsons has said that the film largely distorts the actual events. In the film the reporter, Kernan Jr. (who works for a major Denver paper), does not learn that Satterfield is an impersonator until after the article is published and then seriously considers ignoring this fact for the sake of his burgeoning career. In reality the actual reporter, J.R. Moehringer, did extensive research and discovered the boxer's true identity long before any article was ever published. Moehringer then changed the focus of the article to "describe how he'd been duped." Parsons goes on to express irritation that the film depicted journalism in such a disparaging light.
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Rod Lurie
Rod Lurie
Rod Lurie is an Israeli-American director, screenwriter and former film critic.-Early life and career:The son of internationally syndicated cartoonist Ranan Lurie, he was born in Israel but moved to the United States at a young age, growing up in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Honolulu,...
and written by Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett, based on the L.A. Times Magazine
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
article by J.R. Moehringer. It stars Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
, Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
and Alan Alda
Alan Alda
Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
, among others. It was filmed in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The film is set in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. This film centers around the life and career of professional boxer Bob Satterfield
Bob Satterfield
Bob "Bombardier" Satterfield , was a heavyweight boxer who fought from 1945-1957. Satterfield, who never fought for the title, retired with a record of 50 wins , 25 losses and 4 draws. He is in Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time at number 58...
.
Box office
The film earned $3,172,573 in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada. On a very limited release, it took $69,854 in the rest of the world.
Reception
The film received mixed reviews, with a 59% rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. One reviewer praised the newsroom scenes as "authentic" and noted that the film was above all "about fathers and sons, a male weepie" rather than being primarily focused on journalistic ethics or sports.
Accuracy of film
In an article about the film Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reporter Dana Parsons has said that the film largely distorts the actual events. In the film the reporter, Kernan Jr. (who works for a major Denver paper), does not learn that Satterfield is an impersonator until after the article is published and then seriously considers ignoring this fact for the sake of his burgeoning career. In reality the actual reporter, J.R. Moehringer, did extensive research and discovered the boxer's true identity long before any article was ever published. Moehringer then changed the focus of the article to "describe how he'd been duped." Parsons goes on to express irritation that the film depicted journalism in such a disparaging light.
Media releases
This movie was released on Region One DVD widescreen on April 8, 2008. It has also been released in many other region formats.Cast
- Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. JacksonSamuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
as Champ - Josh HartnettJosh HartnettJoshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
as Erik Kernan - Kathryn MorrisKathryn MorrisKathryn Morris is an American actress, best known for her lead role as Detective Lilly Rush in the CBS series Cold Case.-Career:...
as Joyce Kernan - Dakota GoyoDakota GoyoDakota Avery Goyo is a Canadian child actor.Goyo was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Debra, a former model and singer who manages his career, and David Goyo. He has two siblings, Devon and Dallas....
as Teddy Kernan - Alan AldaAlan AldaAlphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...
as Ralph Metz - Rachel NicholsRachel Nichols (actress)Rachel Emily Nichols is an American actress and model. Nichols began modeling while attending Columbia University in New York City in the late 1990s...
as Polly - Teri HatcherTeri HatcherTeri Lynn Hatcher is an American actress, writer, and presenter. She is known for her television roles as Susan Mayer on the ABC comedy-drama series Desperate Housewives, and Lois Lane on the ABC comedy-drama series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman...
as Andrea Flak - Kristen Shaw as Perlmutter
- Nick Sandow as Rocky
- David PaymerDavid PaymerDavid Paymer is an American actor and television director, seen in such films as Quiz Show, Searching for Bobby Fischer, City Slickers, Crazy People, State and Main, Payback, Get Shorty, Carpool, The American President, Ocean's Thirteen, and Drag Me to Hell...
as Whitley - Harry J. LennixHarry J. LennixHarry Joseph Lennix III is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Terrence "Dresser" Williams in the Robert Townsend film The Five Heartbeats and as "Boyd Langton" in the Joss Whedon television show Dollhouse....
as Robert "Bob" Satterfield Jr. - Peter CoyotePeter CoyotePeter Coyote is an American actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audio books. His voice work includes narrating the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics and Apple's iPad campaign. He has also served as on-camera co-host of the 2000 Oscar...
as Ike Epstein - Ryan McDonald as Kenny
- Chris Ippolito as Jaws
- Justin S. Crowe as Reporter
- John ElwayJohn ElwayJohn Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
as himself - Jake PlummerJake PlummerJason Steven "Jake" Plummer is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona State....
as himself