"Shallow Hal" with retards instead of fat chicks.

Okay. That's wrong. The kids who are "mentally challenged" that appear in this film are hoping that "The Ringer" will show that they are differently abled yet still quite capable of living relatively normal, happy lives and functioning in society. And, indeed, this film shows us just that. Just as "Shallow Hal" proved that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and "Stuck on You" proved that being Siamese twins was no obstacle to love and happiness and "Dumb and Dumber" proved... Okay, I don't know what "Dumb and Dumber" proved except maybe that people are willing to plop down good money to see Jim Carrey pretend he is a retard, but you get the picture... this movie makes its point loud and clear!

But let's face it. Most of us know that many mentally challenged people are capable of living full and productive lives. That's not going to stop most people from calling them retards. It's just like the fact that most people know that being gay isn't anything wrong or anything to be ashamed of. That's not going to stop people from calling us fags. It's just the way it is. Still, there's the hope that some younger people will see this film, since it's being markets as a slapstick comedy starring Johnny Knoxville of "Jackass" fame, and learn a little something about tolerance between the pratfalls and the laughs.

Knoxville is the perfect guy to be in this movie because he is certainly used to hanging out with the mentally disabled. Steve-O is hot and everything but he will certainly never be known for his intelligence or common sense. Knoxville has a shitload of fun here and all of the laughs in the film come either from his idiocy or from the supposedly mentally disabled kids saying something smart and witty. In other words, there's not an offensive idea here. Yet the film is edgy and funny. This is definitely not your mother's "mentally challenged" movie. This is not something you're going to see on Lifetime TV.

We have grown pretty frustrated with The Farrelly Brothers films of late. "Shallow Hal" and "Stuck on You" are not two of their best films. The Farrellys produce here and get an enormous kick in the "write" direction thanks to a perfectly hilarious script by Ricky Blitt, who has written many a "Family Guy" episode. Blitt seems to understand, much in the way the Farrellys used to understand, that comedy can be funny and edgy without being offensive. There is a line between honest and offensive and Blitt knows exactly where it is. The Farrellys were wise to see this in his script.

Katherine Heigl, who is now best known as one of the stars of TV's "Gray's Anatomy" but was very much an unknown when this film was lensed in Austin a couple of year's ago, plays the love interest here and she does it just wonderfully. It's easy to like Heigl on TV and its easy to like her here. And Brian Cox is wonderfully greasy as Knoxville's gambling addicted uncle. But it is the whole plethora of young people who are mentally challenged in real life that fill out the rest of the supporting cast who really make the film a joy. Everyone here does a great job and there are lots of laughs in every scene without the film ever belittling the supposedly less-able characters. In many ways, this film is a revelation about just how able some of these kids are... able to act and to make us laugh as well as able to fit in with everyone around them.

"The Ringer" will change the attitude of many people who see the film, many of them teenagers who idolize Knoxville for his work on "Jackass." That seems to be an audience that might most need to learn a lesson or two about how to treat people different than themselves. That, my friends, is indeed a good thing. Here's hoping that for every kid that broke their arm trying to emulate some stupid stunt Knoxville and his gang of idiots pulled on "Jackass," there's another one who sees this film and realizes that the weird looking and weird talking "special needs" kid at his school could be someone that would make a really good friend.

Notes:

The film had permission to use the name of the Special Olympics and their logo in the film.

Music by Mark Mothersbaugh.

Filmed in Austin and San Marcos, Texas in 2003. The Paramount Theater in Austin and Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos are two of the most recognizable locales in the film.

The film was pushed back several times before it was decided to release it at Christmas in 2005.

Knoxville watches a clip of "Family Guy" in one scene.

Viewed at a cast and crew screening at The Paramount Theater in Austin in December of 2005 with my friends Lauralee and Johnny Oh! We were part of the audience that got in free, so we had to sit up in the balcony as the special guests, including many of the young people in the film, got to sit downstairs in the VIP section. Director Barry Blaustein, one of the Farrelly Brothers, the former head of the Texas Film Commission, the current head of Texas Special Olympics, Knoxville, and several of the intellectually challenged kids in the film did a Q&A after the film.

Report Card

Script: A-

Acting: A

Cinematography\Lighting: C

Special Effects\Make Up: C

Music: C

Final Grade: B+