Box Office Champ? 'L.A. Times' Piece Comes to Screen With Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett -- As a Reporter

By: The idea that our sports heroes aren't nearly as heroic as we'd like them to be couldn't be more timely. No amount of artfully edited, feel-good pieces on ESPN can make us ignore the transgressions of players like Michael Vick and Barry Bonds, both admitted and alleged.

If "Resurrecting the Champ" had just explored that notion, it would have been fine. If it had just explored the notion that it can be easy for journalists to get caught up in seeing their stories develop the way they envision them, to the potential detriment of the truth, that would have been fine, too. But it's about both of those things, as well as the way in which rifts between fathers and sons can haunt men for decades.

Watching the film from director Rod Lurie ("The Contender") makes you wish it were more focused, because the performances are so good. Samuel L. Jackson disappears in the role of Champ, a former boxer now homeless and frail, but with a bit of fight left in him. Josh Hartnett plays foundering sportswriter Erik Kernan, who discovers Champ and tells his incredible story -- then basks in the subsequent glory. Alan Alda, David Paymer, Kathryn Morris and Teri Hatcher are all solid in supporting parts.

But it turns out that Champ's story is more incredible than Erik could have imagined, and "Resurrecting the Champ" becomes a totally different movie, yet still a compelling one. The script, from Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett, is based on a 1997 Los Angeles Times Magazine article by J.R. Moehringer about one-time heavyweight contender Bob Satterfield.

Here's how the story plays out: One night, after covering a boxing match, Erik rescues a homeless man from a group of thugs. He learns the man's name is Satterfield -- but the name doesn't ring a bell at first, even though Erik's late, estranged father was a revered boxing broadcaster.

After plying the old man with beer and a friendly ear, he thinks he's got a great story on his hands, but he doesn't take it to sports editor Metz (a perfectly gruff Alda), who's been unimpressed with Erik. Instead, he goes over Metz's head to the magazine editor (Paymer), who falls in love with the idea.

Erik has fallen in love, too -- so much so, he doesn't check his facts as thoroughly as he should.

A cable channel asks Erik to be an on-air correspondent. His flirtation with fame is a way to live up to his father's name and impress his son, Teddy (Dakota Goyo), whom he doesn't get to see as often as he'd like now that he's separated from his wife (Morris), an editor at the paper.

But Teddy already thought his dad was a superstar. Things get worse before they get better, but, in keeping with the uplifting themes of both the original article and the film, forgiveness is in store.

It's actually not as maudlin as it sounds.