Johnny Knoxville Commits Special Olympic Fraud
Written: Jul 10 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The Special Olympic performers; Delves into politically incorrect territory
Cons: Silliness abounds; Parts of plot are goofy
The Bottom Line: This is a moderately funny film that touches on a controversial subject without getting too offensive.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: The Ringer |
Everyone experiences financial hardships from time to time. Most people respond by cutting their budgets to the leanest level possible; exercising discipline with credit cards and general purchasing; taking out a second mortgage; etc. But what if the debt owed was so great and the money needed so quickly that traditional means wouldn’t suffice? This is the situation faced in The Ringer, a comedy about two guys in need of a quick fix to their indebtedness problems.
Movie Facts:
Rating: PG-13
Director: Barry Blaustein
Screenplay/Writing Credits: Ricky Blitt
Movie Length: 94 Minutes
Theatrical Release Date: December 23, 2005
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Janna Ambort, Mohammad Ahmed, Geoffrey Arend, Bill Chott, Brian Cox, Alcides Dias, Jed Rees, John Taylor, Katherine Heigl, Edward Barbanell, Leonard Flowers, Luis Avalos
Contents of This Movie:
Steve Barker (played by Johnny Knoxville) is a guy who wants a promotion on his job. As a condition, he must fire fellow worker Stavi (played by Luis Avalos). Steve goes ahead and does the deed, but his guilt gets the best of him and he ends up offering Stavi a job working at Steve’s own house, doing landscape work. While working in the yard, Stavi loses three fingers. With no insurance policy to cover the expense, Steve needs money and needs it fast.
Meanwhile, Steve’s uncle, Gary Barker, (played by Brian Cox) has found himself in dire financial straights due to gambling and he needs money even more badly than Steve. Finally, Gary comes up with the quick fix: Steve will pretend to be disabled, join the Special Olympics, and compete for the Gold. Steve refuses at first on moral grounds but he eventually gives in because he and his uncle really need the cash. Steve was a track star in high school so Gary is convinced he can bring home the Gold. Gary plans to bet big on the outcome of the Special Olympics, convinced that his nephew will smear the competition. Jimmy (played by Leonard Flowers), is a four time Special Olympic champion and Steve knows he will be his greatest competition.
After interacting with the other Special Olympic athletes, Steve takes on the name “Jeffy” and proceeds to act like he is disabled. But the other Special Olympians are smarter than Steve thinks. They are wise to Steve’s little charade, but instead of exposing him as a fraud, they agree to take his side because they dislike Jimmy so much. Jeffy (Steve) trains for the big day with the assistance of his new friends, culminating in the track and field events at the Special Olympics where he tries his hardest to win the Gold and win enough money to get him and his uncle out of debt.
Final Thoughts:
“The Ringer” is a ridiculous comedy with a goofy plot and political incorrectness throughout. This movie is daring in that it touches on sensitive ground where many directors and performers would not dare to tread. Making a comedy about most subjects would be ok, but this film pokes fun (sort of) at the Special Olympics with Johnny Knoxville pretending to be mentally challenged and committing the ultimate act of shamefulness by joining the Special Olympics and competing for medals against other, truly disabled athletes.
This movie has all the warning signs of a tasteless, shameless, and morally offensive film and when I first watched it, I was expecting the worst. I admit, however, that the film’s venture into politically incorrect comedy territory was one of its appeals. Making a movie that could possibly poke fun at the Special Olympics and what it stands for was too outrageous to be true and it convinced me to rent the DVD and find out for myself if it really was a film made with incredible bad taste.
What I discovered is The Ringer is not all that offensive after all and in many ways it actually shines a positive light on the Special Olympics and its athletes. Yes, there are the many scenes where Knoxville is walking around with his head tilted, talking and acting like he has a serious disability and these scenes could offend some viewers. But the interesting twist on the whole movie is that Knoxville’s “Jeffy” character is actually the one person who seems the stupidest and his co- athletes are the ones who seem the brightest. In fact, there is the one scene in the movie where the other athletes confront Knoxville’s character because they know he is a fraud. They can see right through his act. “Jeffy” is shocked because he assumes that Special Olympics people will be easy to fool but not only is this untrue, they are also very good in competitive sports, causing Knoxville’s character to rethink his strategy. What he and his uncle thought would be a cake walk turns out to be a tough competition.
The attraction between Knoxville and his co- star is the one subplot to the film and while cute, it isn’t essential to the overall picture. Lynn Sheridan (played by Katherine Heigl) is a Special Olympics volunteer who is engaged to David Patrick (played by Zen Gesner). Knoxville’s character takes an instant liking to her and he plays on her sympathies (remember- she thinks he is a Special Olympian at first) to win her affections. After a while, she discovers that “Jeffy” isn’t the disabled person she thought and she reacts with rage. It is up to Knoxville to win her back, if it can even be done at all. This subplot is ok, but the film could have concentrated entirely on the Special Olympics without any loss in comedic value.
Performances in this film are generally ok, with Brian Cox as the standout in the bunch. Johnny Knoxville passes in this role, even though his “Jeffy” personification is rather weak. Of course, he is doing an acting role within an acting role so I don’t know if we can really blame this on lack of talent. Probably the best performers of all, however, are Edward Barbanell, Nicole Bradley, John Taylor, and others who are actual Special Olympics athletes. They each play a role as a specific character, but since they are actual athletes in the Special Olympics, they add a jolt of reality to the film and their performances are commendable.
DVD extras for “The Ringer” include deleted scenes, a message from Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver, special commentary by the director, writer, and some of the performers, and a special feature on the Special Olympics itself. This film actually received a thumbs- up from the Special Olympics- they gave their approval to go ahead with the movie. Even though it is a comedy and it has what seems like a distasteful premise, the movie treats the Olympians with respect.
Overall, The Ringer is a silly, slapstick comedy that offers a few funny lines and some ok comedy for the most part while also bringing to the forefront an important organization that deserves some much deserved attention. The movie gets a little carried away at times with Knoxville’s character and his shameful attempt to rig the Special Olympics. But the film plays it safe, never crossing to line into outright offensiveness. It makes a good film for those times when you’re in a light- hearted mood and want a movie that is mildly amusing and a little controversial without going too far on either count.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Funny Movie
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