Review of Resurrecting the Champ (2007) by Dustin G — 09 Mar 2008

I know why most critics didn't like this movie, why it got so many bad reviews. They say it's not a realistic representation of journalism. Well maybe not, but for those of us who aren't journalists, how the hell do we know how authentic it is? Should that keep us from enjoying the movie? No. Not that I don't sympathize with the journalists out there for feeling that way. Being a musician, if a movie came out where a guy sat down and started playing Never Coming Back Again by Fleetwood Mac on one string, or playing the guitar upside down, that would bother me. But that shouldn't bother those out there who don't know a damn thing about guitar or how to play it. So for me, screw how authentic to real life journalism this film is. I enjoyed the story, got caught up in it. I enjoyed the relationship between The Champ (Jackson) and Kernan (Hartnett). I also thought the characters were interesting and could sympathize with most of them, especially The Champ of course. It's a friggin joke that Sam Jackson wasn't nominated for any acting awards for this. He was perfect and showed his versatility once again. Alan Alda's always a pleasure to watch as well.

I really like boxing movies. This is a great film. Cool seeing alot of locations in Calgary being used. Especially the Mustard Seed, where I used to work, but that had nothing to do with why I enjoyed the film so much. Just a great story, well made and acted and pretty touching at times.