Double Feature

September 2009 - September is "Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month." Yeah, I didn't know that either, but I found it on the Internet so it must be true. In honor of the national distinction, maybe you can check out these two movies involving writers and editors.

First up is Resurrecting the Champ, a PG-13 movie from 2007. Samuel L. Jackson is a knockout in this fact-based flick about the relationship between a down-and-out former boxer and a young sports reporter.

The movie begins with Erik Kernan (Josh Hartnett) getting kicked around on the boxing beat at "The Denver Times." Erik knows little about the sport and it shows in his writing. His editor tries to shame him into doing better, but Erik and his ego are set on a cushy job writing features for the paper's Sunday magazine.

Erik's break comes when he rushes to the aid of a homeless man (Jackson) who's just been worked over by a group of college punks. The man calls himself "Champ" and says he's Battlin' Bob Satterfield, a one-time title contender who everyone seemed to think was dead. Erik sets out to write Champ's story, hoping that by "resurrecting" him, he can resurrect his career, his marriage and his relationship with his son. Sounds like a plan, if only he had remembered to check his facts.

Overall review: Ehhhh, it was OK. Jackson is very good in his role as the Champ, and Hartnett and Morris are solid. Teri Hatcher is great in a small role, as are Alan Alda and Peter Coyote. But, my big problem is with the way the story was handled by Kernan and his editors. For a movie that purports to be about truth, this film does a lot of stretching.

A better movie is the totally fictional The Proposal. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds have a hate-love relationship in this 2009, PG-13 romcom from director Anne Fletcher. Mary Steenburgen and Craig T. Nelson co-star, but Betty White and Oscar Nunez (The Office) steal the show.

Bullock plays Margaret Tate, a high-powered publishing executive in New York. Reynolds is Andrew Paxton, her long-suffering assistant. When Margaret is faced with deportation to her native Canada, she proposes that Andrew marry her in order to keep her in the country. He agrees on the condition that she publish his novel.

With the deal in place, the unhappy couple head to Andrew's hometown in Alaska to meet the family, which includes his parents (Nelson and Steenburgen) and his grandma (White). An out-of-the-office romance develops and - I don't think I'm giving anything away here - the best line of the movie comes when Andrew tells Margaret, "I want to marry you so I can date you."

Overall review: Liked it. This film doesn't make you think too hard, and there's no underlying message about the nature of true love. But, with a good cast, a funny script, some stunning scenery and a very cute dog, what's not to like? Say yes to The Proposal.