The Ringer (2005)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Barry W. Blaustein

Writer (WGA):

Ricky Blitt (written by)

Release Date:

23 December 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

Only a jackass would fix the Special Olympics

Plot:

A young guy's only option to erase a really bad debt is to rig the Special Olympics by posing as a contestant.

Plot Keywords:

Special Olympics | Hurdles | Dance | Pentathlon | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Johnny Knoxville	...	Steve Barker
Brian Cox	...	Gary Barker
Katherine Heigl	...	Lynn Sheridan
Jed Rees	...	Glen
Bill Chott	...	Thomas
Edward Barbanell	...	Billy
Leonard Earl Howze	...	Mark
Geoffrey Arend	...	Winston
John Taylor	...	Rudy
Luis Avalos	...	Stavi
Leonard Flowers	...	Jimmy
Zen Gesner	...	David Patrick
Steve Levy	...	Steve Levy
Alcides Dias	...	Michael (as Al 'Train' Dias)
Mike Cerrone	...	Paulie

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language and some drug references.

Runtime:

94 min | Argentina:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

UK:12A | Ireland:PG | Germany:6 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Malaysia:U | Argentina:13 | Iceland:LH | Finland:K-7 | Netherlands:6 | South Korea:12 | Greece:K | USA:PG-13 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Conundrum Entertainment

Trivia:

This film has been given a blessing by the Special Olympics.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the restaurant lunch scene, in one shot Jeffy and his date are sitting very closely, but in the next shot they're spaced further apart.

Quotes:

Glen: People tell us all the time what we wont ever do. Won't ever read, won't ever have a job, won't ever learn to tie my own shoes, won't ever have a girlfriend. Well I have done all those things.
Mark: But you can't tie your own shoes.
Winston: And you never had a girlfwiend.
Glen: That's right

Movie Connections:

References Rain Man (1988)

Soundtrack:

My Cherie Amour

This movie has so much heart!

I got 2 free passes to see this film... I had very low expectations since it starred Johnny Knoxville who I, until today, only associated with really grotesque behavior on Jackass. The combination of that and Special Olympics smelled like it could be a cheap joke at the expense of Special Olympians but in fact it turned out to be just the opposite! It totally surpassed my expectations! It was a truly sweet, laugh out loud funny feel-good movie with big big heart. It portrayed the Olympians in a really caring way and those characters totally made the movie. I didn't have any trouble swallowing Johnny as a naive guy with a big heart, but people who've seen him in Jackass might find the contrast startling at first. It might be too sweet, or too predictably Hollywood for some people... But the physical comedy and naive sweetness really won me over in the end. I look forward to watching this film again.