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The Ringer
User Score
5.5 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 31
  3. Negative: 9 out of 31

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  1. RobertC.
    Mar 30, 2006
    9
    Clearly this is a film which produces strong reactions. I thought it was jaw droppingly brilliant and funny. I could have done without the sentimental epilogue but the US seems to like that sort of thing and they made it. I thought the girl was a dish - where has she been all my life? Sadly the enormous cinema inLleicester square where I saw it was empty. Pity.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. MarkB.
    Jan 10, 2006
    8
    Under normal circumstances, the only person who'd qualify as being equally or more despicable than someone who attempts to rig the Special Olympics is someone who thinks the whole idea is a real gas and tries to make a comedy about it. Well, as those of us who have watched There's Something About Mary and Shallow Hal already know, there's nothing normal about the Farrelly brothers. They have a large number of off-screen friends who are physically and/or mentally challenged (and cast them in nearly all their movies) , they do a lot of spare-time volunteer work for related causes, and in general they work out of not only a deep sense of compassion but also affection for this community. And believe it or not, they and screenwriter Ricky Blitt and director Barry Blaustein actually come up with a farcically plausible premise that makes nice guy Steve's attempt to pull off such an outrageous ruse at least understandable (if definitely not justifiable). It says a lot for the depth of The Ringer's insight into its subject matter that Steve's mentally challenged teammates see through his con almost immediately; they instinctively know he isn't one of them. The dodgiest plot element is that the movie's potential romantic interest (Katherine Heigl), a Special Olympics coach, DOESN'T catch on that Steve is pretending to be what he's not, but this is chalked up to a good-natured naivete on her part that also allows her to be strung along by the traditional Bad Boyfriend. The movie is sweet but not sentimental (at least until the last ten minutes when it's genuinely earned the right to be); it's consistently amusing while pulling off the small miracle of NOT making you feel bad about laughing, and the casting is truly impressive: it's extremely difficult to tell which of the Special Olympians in the film are being played by really good actors pretending to be challenged and which are real-life mentally challenged folks who also really good actors. (I tried to guess a couple of times and was wrong on both counts.) Brian Cox plays Steve's slimy uncle, who concocts the plot, and if I wasn't previously convinced of what a great actor he is, I am now: forget his moving monologue at the end of 25th Hour or that he was the original Hannibal Lector; if his ability to make this sleazebag come across as fairly likable isn't the mark of greatness, nothing is. And as for Johnny Knoxville (The Dukes of Hazzard), let's just say that I'm not normally a fan, to say the least; the close-up of a filled department store commode in Jackass: The Movie pretty much sums up my general opinion of his career--but here he not only makes the difficult masquerade work, but surprisingly turns out to be an engaging, funny and sympathetic leading man. Just one unexpected surprise in a movie that's full of them: The Ringer takes the worst, most tasteless movie premise of 2005 and turns it into one of that year's most entertaining and endearing crowd-pleasers.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. BubbleMan
    Jun 17, 2006
    8
    It wasn't as good as Benchwarmers IMO because it was like true love, not funny love. But otherwise it was a really good movie with funny jokes through out the whole movie.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. lolal.
    Dec 22, 2005
    8
    Hilarious! Although, if you have no experience with people with special needs then you probably cannot appreciate the humour to its fullest extent. Portrays everyone realistically without being overly 'nice' to those who face different challenges than others.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. ManiT
    Jan 5, 2006
    0
    Was this supposed to be a Comedy or some type of love story? I absolutely did not see anything funny in it.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. CharlieN.
    May 17, 2006
    6
    It has a good heart, but it's not very funny.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. DrewH.
    Dec 23, 2005
    0
    Hahaha o wow this plot is hilarious i cant believe how original they were! o wait i remember a southpark episode where cartman rigged the special olympics to make money.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. DanL.
    Dec 24, 2005
    7
    It's ehh......more of a rent than to dish out 9.95 for. Oh, and Johnny Knoxville is NOT funny.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. MaryR.
    Dec 25, 2005
    9
    Very sweet and funny. Except for some occasional crude humor, it is a good family movie so that kids can see that mentally challenged people are no different -- they love and laugh just like everyone else.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. DJAnthony
    Dec 28, 2005
    2
    I went expecting a comedy. What I got was a mostly insipid love story. Yawn!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. TylerD.
    Jan 29, 2006
    9
    The Ringer worked surprisingly well. Johnny Knoxville actually makes fun of himself rather than than the handicapped, which I'm sure many of you thought wasn't going to happen. Many of the funny parts come from the handicapped making fun of Knoxville, like the part "When the F*** did we get ice cream!?". The handicapped definitely outsmart the non-handicapped in this laugh-out-loud comedy.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. CarsonO.
    Dec 29, 2005
    0
    Wow. the worst movie i've ever seen. just terrible.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. ConnorS.
    Dec 31, 2005
    8
    I saw this movie today, and i thought it was hilarious. the reason why i thought it was a good movie was because it was not pointless. it had a very good plot, and taught a good lesson. i think that it isi definetly worth buying. and also have to add that johnny knoxville is getting quite good at acting. lets just say he was not too great in dukes of hazzard.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
46 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 29
  3. Negative: 8 out of 29
  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Robert K. Elder
    25
    Knoxville, Jed Rees and Bill Chott act daffy and more impaired than their counterparts, and that never sat right with me. This may not be the equivalent of acting in blackface, but it's awfully close.
    Read full review
  2. Dallas Observer
    Reviewed by: Luke Y. Thompson
    70
    These guys are laugh-out-loud funny, not because they're being belittled, but because they're finally getting a chance to show a sense of humor onscreen.
    Read full review
  3. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Pete Vonder Haar
    0
    The Ringer is astoundingly craptastic not because the handicapped are handled poorly (though if they were paid more than union scale I'd be surprised), but because it's one of the most singularly unfunny films ever made.
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