Despite its roster of well-known actors—Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Teri Hatcher, and Alan Alda—this riches-to-rags story never rises above the level of a made-for-cable potboiler. When a struggling sports reporter (Hartnett) discovers a former boxing champion (Jackson) living on the streets, he begins to investigate the story of exactly how and why the once-famous fighter went wrong, and—in the best tradition of such tales—the journalist finds parallels between the champ's life and his own. Rod Lurie's straightforward direction moves the story along briskly, and he manages to elicit solid performances from the cast (although Jackson could have given more oomph to his portrayal of the beleaguered boxer). A low-key intimate drama that may work a little better on the small screen, this is still an optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Rod Lurie, cast and crew interviews with Lurie, costars Josh Hartnett, Samuel L. Jackson, Kathryn Morris, and Alan Alda, and boxing choreographer and stunt coordinator Eric Bryson (7 min.), a promo featurette (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (E. Hulse)
Resurrecting the Champ
Fox, 111 min., PG-13, DVD: $27.99, Apr. 1 Volume 23, Issue 2
Resurrecting the Champ
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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