FREE: The Ringer

The listing, The Ringer has ended.

comes in sleeve (no case)

With minimal expectations, I actually found "The Ringer" to be very funny and filled with heart. Without a question, I feel this is Johnny Knoxville's best screen performance to date. He's wickedly funny, surprisingly sympathetic, and a credible romantic lead all rolled into one. In a scheme that is entered into with good intentions, Knoxville infiltrates the Special Olympics with the help of his uncle (a hysterically dark turn from Brian Cox). There, he finds it much more challenging than he had anticipated--both physically in the sporting events and mentally as it's difficult to maintain his cover. Of course, it doesn't help matters that he falls for a lovely volunteer (natch) played by "Grey's Anatomy"'s Katherine Heigl.

Of course, much of the humor is physical and much might be considered offensive in certain camps. I, for one, found it refreshing that the other participants of the Olympics were not portrayed as "saints" but as real people. The front-runner, for example, is an outright villain. And when Knoxville is set up on a blind date with a disabled girl, she is dismissive and irritable and downright mean. It's a progressive and unusual view, as most movies on this subject show exclusively favorable characterizations. Knoxville's plot against Heigl's boyfriend is hysterical, his camaraderie in the group is fresh and believable, and his romantic inclinations are well-played.