What kind of man would fix the Special Olympics?! (The Ringer (DVD))

Member Name: NewYork2006

Product:	The Ringer (DVD)
Date:	15/04/07 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very funny and not as 'close to the mark' as I thought . . . . .

Disadvantages: None really

As soon as I saw this DVD advertised on TV I knew I had to watch it so was pleased when my boyfriend bought it for me for my birthday. I don't usually like Johnny Knoxville but the film looked funny so thought I would give it a go and I was pleasantly surprised.

I thought the film would be quite 'close to the mark' and a bit politically incorrect from watching the adverts and reading the back of the case but it actually wasn't.

The basic plot of the film is that Steve (Knoxville) hires his friend Stavi (Luis Avalos) as his gardener as he feels sorry for him but Stavi unfortunately catches his hand in the Lawnmower and slices off 3 of his fingers. He is rushed to hospital but as he doesn't have any medical insurance Steve will need to pay $28000 to get Stavi's fingers sewn back on.

Steve, urged by his uncle Gary (Brian Cox 'The Bourne Supremacy' and 'Troy') who also needs quick money as he owes $40,000 to a loan shark, agrees to pretend to be mentally handicapped to get into the Special Olympics and beat the unbeatable champion Jimmy Washington (Leonard Flowers) which should be easy as he used to run track in high school and it must be easier to beat a handicapped person surely?

Steve then gets into the Special Olympics as 'Jeffy, the guy who loves hugs and apples' and proceeds to practice which he then discovers is not as easy as he thought. Especially when he is trying to catch the attention of one of the Leaders, Lynn (Katherine Heigl).

After a while, he befriends some of the other competitors who discover his secret but still want him to win to beat Jimmy so they help him train.

I wont tell you any more of the story as I dont want to spoil it so I'll give you other information instead.

I thought the film was very funny but it was also a great insight into the lives of handicapped people (I'm sorry if that term offends anyone, everything seems to be so politically incorrect these days that I never know if I've said the wrong thing!) and shows them living normal lives just like us - teasing each other, having water fights, going to the cinema - everyday things that we may not think they can do just because they are handicapped.

The humour is very funny but you never feel like you are laughing at them for being handicapped but for what they are saying or what they are doing etc.

I thought the acting was fantastic. I didn't find Knoxville as annoying as I usually do and I found him very sincere and having compassion for him when he began to realise that these people were 'normal' too. Other brilliant acting which had me laughing till I almost cried was from Billy (Edward Barbanell) who has never appeared in any film or tv production (that I know of anyway, apologies if I'm wrong!) and Thomas (Bill Chott), Winston (Geoffrey Arend), Glen (Jed Rees) and Paulie (Mike Cerrone) who all played Steve/Jeffy's friends and fellow competitors in the film.

The film was produced by the Farrelly Brothers who produced 'There's Something about Mary' and 'Shallow Hal' and directed by Barry Blaustein (director of greats such as Nutty Professor and Police Academy) this film will keep you smiling and laughing all the way through.

I was also very pleased to see that on the inside cover there was a leaflet about the Special Olympics and it said on there that this film has been given a blessing by the Special Olympics which I think means you can enjoy it a bit more as you are not worried about 'should I be laughing at this bit and that bit as it may be politically incorrect' because they have given you the OK to do so.

The film has been given a 12 classification and think it would be fine for anyone above that age to watch as it has a very small amount of swearing and drug reference.

Approximate running time is 90 mins.

The Special Features include:

16 Deleted Scenes which are funny (but obviously they were deleted for a reason!!)
Special Olympics Featurette
'Let the Games Begin' A look at The Ringer' Featurette
A very touching and inspiring Message from Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver
Audio Commentary by Barry Blaustein, Screenwriter Ricky Blitt, Producer Peter Farrelly and Actors Johnny Knoxville, Edward Barbanell and John Taylor.

Overall, I thought this was a very good film. It wasn't as hilariously funny as I thought it was going to be (though it is still funny) but it was great in so many other ways that I hadn't even considered. This was bought for me as a gift so don't know how much it cost but I have looked around and you can buy it on Amazon from £2.99 and Play.com for £4.99 (including delivery)

Thanks for reading
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Summary: Johnny Knoxville pretends to be handicapped to enter the special olympics - great film.