THE RINGER 
Starring:
Johnny Knoxville, Katherine Heigl, Brian Cox, Zen Gesner, John Taylor, Luis
Avalos, Jed Rees and Bill Chott
Director:
Barry W. Blaustein
Running Time:
94 mins
Out to buy on DVD 24/07/06
"You're a faker"
When Steve (Knoxville) is finally promoted at work his first job is to fire the janitor Stavi (Avalos) but he just can't do it. Instead he offers him a job as his personal gardener but when Stavi accidentally cuts off three of his fingers he hasn't signed him up for the medical insurance that he promised. Now Steve has to find $28,000 for the operation to reattach his fingers so he asks his Uncle Gary (Cox) for advice. He is also needs get hold of some money quickly as his bookie is looking for him so he comes up with a plan. They should fix the Special Olympics by entering Steve as an athlete.
The idea of someone pretending to mentally challenged to win the Special Olympics might seem like one of the most offensive plot devices that Hollywood has ever thought of but when you find out the Farrelly Brothers are involved you wouldn't be surprised. If you are expecting the film to take the mickey out of people with disabilities however, you will be gravely mistaken.
While there are some jokes are at the athlete's expense, most of the jokes are aimed at Johnny Knoxville's character. He soon realises that just because he doesn't actually have a disability it doesn't make him a better athlete than the other competitors. This message is the main one of the story but unfortunately it removes any chance of the film been funny.
The film seems like it just doesn't want to do anything offensive, which is fair enough but they could have at least added some jokes to make up for not pushing the gross-out quota. The movie is simply just not funny, with this having more in common with a very average sports movie than a comedy.
What the film does well however is show that people with disabilities are just as much athletes as anyone who enters any Olympic event. By using real Special Olympians and actors with disabilities and not treating them differently to any other actor in the film, the movie does not have any stereotypes in it. This fact has to be applauded, as the only stereotypical character in the piece is the one played by Johnny Knoxville that is instantly seen through by the other competitors who later become his friend.
'The Ringer' does champion that fact that Special Olympians are just as dedicated and gifted as any other athlete but this doesn't make for a funny film. Johnny Knoxville, Brian Cox and the beautiful Katherine Heigl do their best with the script but this is a film that is sadly well out of the medals.
PICTURE & SOUND
Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well.
BONUS FEATURES
Commentary by director Barry W. Blaustein, screenwriter
Ricky Blitt, producer Peter Farrelly and actors Johnny Knoxville, Edward
Barbanell and John Taylor
This extremely fun commentary allows the cast and crew to tell you everything
you need to know about 'The Ringer'. The group talk passionately about getting
the Special Olympics involved and working with athletes and actors with
special needs. They also discuss the idea behind the movie and how they
wanted to highlight the dedication and commitment of these athletes. This
is a funny and informative commentary that actually get the message across
better than the film.
Let the Games Begin: A look at the Ringer (7.07 mins)
Director Barry Blaustein, producer Peter Farrelly, Special Olympics technical
advisor Dave Lennex and stars Johnny Knoxville, John Taylor, Edward Barbanell
and Leonard Flowers talk about making 'The Ringer'. They talk about getting
the Special Olympics organisation involved to raise awareness. They also
talk about mixing actors with real athletes to make the movie as authentic
as possible when it came to representing the sports.
A Message from Tim Shriver, Special Olympics Chairman (3.20
mins)
The chairman of the Special Olympics is accompanied by footage from 1968
- 2006 and the twenty-eight sports the athletes compete in.
Deleted Scenes (18.43 mins)
Entitled 'Bar Scene', 'Steve flirts with Sarah', 'Handicapped parking',
'Do you Party?', 'Karate practice', 'Say something honest', 'Mark's rules',
'Movie theatre lobby', 'David tries to bust Jeffy', 'Rise and shine for
the big day', 'Special Olympics oath', 'Winston's date show's up', 'Lyn
tells a joke to Jeffy', 'Nightmare', 'Sarah recognise Steve on TV', 'Steve
says goodbye', these deleted or extended scenes suffer from the lack of
a commentary or introduction.
Trailers
Previews of 'That 70s Show', 'Tristan +Isolde' and 'X-Men: The Last Stand'
OVERALL
The DVD treatment for 'The Ringer' is up to the usual Fox high standard. The commentary track is very good and the featurettes tell you everything you need to know about the Special Olympics organisation. Fans of the film should be very pleased.
DVD
