- 8
...is one to see, an engrossing, surprising and moving drama that will restore your faith in the power of movies to tell great human stories.
—Pete Hammond Maxim
- 7
...a cautionary fable that every journalistic go-getter dreaming of front-page bylines would do well to heed.
—Stephen Holden New York Times
- 7
There are developments in this movie that I don't want to hint at, especially since they surprised me, and you should have the same pleasure.
—Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times
- 7
...delivers a heckuva story marred by some credibility problems but lands the majority of its punches via subtly powerful performances and a moving undercard of paternal connection.
—Kevin Crust Los Angeles Times
- 6
...a solid effort with a lot going for it, but it suggests that Lurie still isn't willing to relax and let viewers interpret his films, instead of telling them what they're thinking and seeing. Apparently there's a reason he isn't better known.
—Tasha Robinson Onion AV Club
- 6
...a great movie about journalism -- maybe the best there ever was -- because Resurrecting the Champ is mind-erasingly boring.
—Robert Wilonsky LA Weekly
- 6
...a letdown.
—Jason Lynch People
- 6
Here's what Resurrecting the Champ gets right: the dull grind of reporting and researching and writing, and the dull thud caused by a mistake made during that wearying process -- a mistake made totally by accident and easily fixable with a retraction.
—Robert Wilonsky Village Voice
- 6
...boils down to a daddy issue, and there were more than a few times watching both films in which I longed for Michael Caine to show up with a Kleenex.
—Glenn Kenny Premiere
- 6
Earnestly acted corn...
—Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune
- 6
By skewing the film into a father-son inspirational saga, the filmmakers sell out the best possibilities in their material.
—Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor
- 6
...never fully reconciles the story about newsroom ethics with the sentimental drama about bad dads and bereft sons.
—Maitland McDonagh TV Guide
- 5
...bloated...
—Pam Grady Reel
- 5
...a snooze, but at least it's an honest one: The discovery of a great lie, like a disingenuous lover, feels empty.
—Paul Schrodt Slant Magazine
- 4
...speechy monologues on the responsibilities of journalism, the particular evil of infotainment (represented by Teri Hatcher as a she-devil from Showtime), and the gooey sanctity of the bond between fathers and sons all but nullify Jackson's zesty performance.
—Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly
- 3
...a compendium of the worst cliches of sports and journalism movies.
—Lou Lumenick New York Post