Intro:

When your confused but lovable coworker/friend gets his fingers chopped off in a tragic lawnmower accident, and there’s no insurance to cover the surgery, what do you do? Well, I would call my shady uncle and mastermind the perfect plan to grab some easy cash – rigging the Special Olympics!

Even if you didn’t win the cash though, you may come out of the scam in a squad car, or possibly with some new appreciation of people for who they are.

Dialogue:

There is no way that the dialogue could get any better than it already is in The Ringer. Voices and lines matched the mannerisms and appearance of the characters perfectly. I only wish that there was more dialogue, but in reality there was a fair amount – not too little or too much.

You get to know each of the guys that Steve is performing against throughout the movie, and start to realize that they are pretty normal people despite their handicaps. The dialogue was meaningful and contributed to the story. 

Acting:

The Casting staff deserved a raise for the spectacular actors that were selected for the film. Johnny Knoxville (yes, from the Jackass series) portrayed a great character, Steve Barker, who was really a good person having to do bad things to help out a true friend.

There was an awesome set of supporting characters, from Steve’s uncle Gary and the vexing Lynn to Steve’s entourage of special friends – Glen, Thomas, Billy, Mark, Winston, and Rudy, the cast and their performance were very entertaining to say the least.

Plot:

Points for originality and points for being funny in the plot of The Ringer. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film, having spent my entire Saturday working and and taking the ACT. It seems simple at first, but turns out to be a complex comedic tale. Besides, who doesn’t like to ride the short bus? 😉

When you cheat your way into the Special Olympics, become a enemy to the truly disabled, and encounter a attractive assistant, you’re just asking for trouble (and anyone who’s watching is bound to laugh at you…)

The events near the end of the movie also teach an important lesson about friendship and acceptance of others, which adds a lot of unexpected depth to the comedic experience.

Music:

The selections featured in The Ringer were nothing short of perfect at completing the ‘special’ theme of the film. There were also some selections that just added to the hilarity of the events in the movie. “Mr. Sandman” and “Piano Man” are two notable selections. 

Overall:

The Ringer is a spectacular film, but not solely because of it’s originality and great comedic performance. It’s a story about learning that just because someone is different, (in this case, mentally handicapped) doesn’t mean they can’t be like a normal person. Steve realizes this during his charade, and befriends the gang that he performs with in the Special Olympics.

The Ringer teaches us that friendship has no boundaries, and that is something that everyone can agree with. I wholeheartedly recommend this film to anyone who has enjoyed similar films – Forrest Gump, for example – of small people doing great things.

Trailer:

Purchase:

The Ringer

• Tags: funny, touching