The Worst Film Ever

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

The journalist in question is a sports reporter (Josh Hartnett) who's been ground down by overwork and is about to be fired for the lack of flair in his writing when he stumbles upon an ex-boxing-contender (Samuel L. Jackson) who's now punchy and homeless. When he writes the story up for the paper's Sunday magazine, it's a sensation, ESPN comes knocking at his door and he's otherwise swimming in glory until a discrepancy appears in the old pug's story and the situation explodes in his face. As all this unfolds, director Rod Lurie laces the action with subplots and themes -- the inhumanity of boxing, the difficult relationship between fathers and sons (the reporter's father was a famous sportscaster) and more. Somehow, the movie just can't support all these competing themes. It never quite emerges as a morality tale (largely because it's never quite clear what the reporter did that was so terrible).

The surprising thing about this boxing story is that it's not really a boxing story per se. To use another sports film analogy, it's similar to the way "Field of Dreams" is not so much about baseball when you come right down to it, but the way a man relates to the legacy of a father who's no longer around but still manages to cast a shadow over his own life. The twist in the story occurs when Samuel L. Jackson's character turns out to be someone completely different from the celebrated sports figure he's presumed to be when first discovered by newspaper writer Erik Kernan Jr. (Josh Hartnett). The unveiling of Battlin' Bob Satterfield (Jackson) as a fraud becomes the undoing of Kernan's career as well, forcing him to embark on his own journey of introspection and self discovery. Putting politics aside, Jackson gives an exceptional performance here, much unlike just about any other character I've seen him portray. Though Hartnett was OK for his role, I could visualize a number of other actors who would have handled the job capably. Alan Alda injects a much needed conservative challenge to Hartnett's character to start taking his career seriously and produce something of value, and even though she portrayed a sleaze of a film producer, Teri Hatcher provided just the right touch in the film to jolt Kernan's career back on track to some semblance of respectability. The young kid playing Kernan's son (Dakota Goyo) hit the right notes when he needed to, and was most effective when keeping it real for his Dad.

"Resurrecting The Champ" is a solid movie that - if I might use a boxing metaphor - may not pack a punch, but nevertheless has an impact on those who view it. It has surprises packed within it - it's not exactly what you expect it to be and it turns out to go in a direction that you weren't expecting because it seemed to be heading in completely different directions. And in the end it turns out to be a pretty moving and powerful statement about the importance of honesty in life and how we all need to live (and die) with integrity, honest about ourselves and able to be proud of ourselves.You get the impression (from the title and from the early direction of the movie) that this is going to be a story about a down on his luck ex- boxer and how he got there. As the homeless ex-boxer, Samuel L. Jackson was good. He's "discovered" one night by Erik Kernan (Josh Hartnett) - a reporter covering the local boxing beat for the Denver Times who dreams of bigger things and is frustrated both by his limited role with the paper and by having to live up to the reputation of his late father - a famous sportscaster. Kernan stumbles upon the homeless man after covering a fight, discovers that he's a former contender named Bob Summerfield (but who goes by the name of Champ) and decides that this is his path to greater things - he'll write a human interest story about this guy that will get him national attention. You anticipate that this is going to become the story of Champ, an anticipation that seems to come true when we start to be introduced to some flashback scenes of Champ's career, but the movie finally takes a completely unanticipated twist. After publishing the story and getting lots of attention and job offers, it's discovered that Champ isn't who he's been claiming to be. He's a fraud, and Kernan didn't investigate enough about his background, which leads to all sorts of trouble for both he and his paper.Here's the key to the movie - it's not a boxing story and not a flashback to Champ's career and not the story of Kernan's rise to fame. It's a moral lesson about honesty. Kernan's been lying to his 6 year old son for years about the celebrities he claims to know (John Elway, for example, who Kernan tells his son he's best friends with but doesn't really know, and who makes a cameo in the movie in a very awkward scene for Kernan and his son). He's living a fantasy, and then gets taken in by somebody else whose whole life is a fantasy (Champ has been impersonating Summerfield for years.) Everything comes crashing down for Kernan, because everything in his life has been a lie.The end of the movie becomes an ode to honesty. After being outed for his fraudulent story, Kernan still has to suck it up and attend career day at his son's school with all the kids knowing that his big story was a lie; he has to face the real Summerfield's son; he has to try to rebuild his relationship with his son. Meanwhile, Champ faces a confrontation of his own near the end of the movie with a local tough guy who's taken pleasure over the years in beating him up - finally telling the guy who he really is, decking his tormentor and declaring himself (as I presume he was) the "golden gloves champ of California.) Champ then dies, apparently having come to peace with himself and his life and having rediscovered his own pride in the things he had accomplished.I wouldn't call this an especially powerful movie. It's a good movie and a solid movie which basically holds up the importance of the value of honesty and the importance of taking pride in who you are - whatever your circumstances in life. It's backed by solid performances from the leads, and a good supporting cast featuring a well known actor such as Alan Alda as Kernan's boss at the paper and lesser known actors who offer their own good performances. All in all, it's very well done. (7/10)

I'm sure Josh Hartnett is a real nice kid, and my teenage daughters like him--but he ain't no actor. His attempt at acting is like his character's attempt at reporting: going through the motions with no spunk or soul. Don't blame him, though, blame the director who chose him. Samuel L. Jackson is awesome and convincing, as is Alan Alda as the tough old school editor, Peter Coyote as the wizened old boxing insider, Terri Hatcher revved up like on amphetamines, but Hartnett brings the movie down. The attempt at sentimentality with his separated wife and young son are weak and don't fly. Funny--the girl who plays his wife is good in Cold Case but not as strong here. I honestly think anyone save for Matt Dillon would have been a better casting choice as the lead.