which actors in the ringer are mentally handicapped
; After all, it stars Johnny Knoxville, whose "Jackass" TV show is probably the Farrelly's idea of "Masterpiece Theatre." Out of shape? and 2) how did this movie ever get made? ckenney@journalstar.com. stt86 1 yr. ago Sean Penn in I am Sam I bought it on box office in the face of stiff competition- Date Movie no less - and expected a poor taste, cheap comedy, right up my street. However, as the characters were developed, this movie became so heartwarming and genuine that I left with tears because it blessed me so. There are a lot of jokes in this movie, and theyre in on them all.. This Movie Is Great For Special Olympic Athletes! By night he's a bank janitor. Knoxville's character meet and Steve drops one of Billy's CDs. Imagine you are the woman hes lied to. Edward Barbanell. with the message. It totally surpassed my expectations! Both men cackle. In the process the janitor, Stavi, is hurt and must be taken to the hospital. Turns out that particular actor is a regular ol actor, as are some of the others who play Jeffys special friends. He doesn't sweat. Steve Barker (Johnny Knoxville) is an average office worker looking for some new challenges to his job. There is a sincere note on the Internet Movie Database, from the mother of a disabled child and Special Olympics participant. "If you watch this movie and ever use the word retarded again," Larsen says, "shame on you." I figured on seeing a jackass-ian treatment of the mentally challenged and avoided it like the plague - I shouldn't have. Y'all be cool.". Unlike "Tropic Thunder" which made fun of blacks and though with disabilities. The pose lasts for 25 minutes. Passing through the main temples of Judo, our visually impaired athletes face the many challenges of training in an unknown country. But not in the form of cheap jibes at disabled people. Funk portrayed one of the debt collectors, while Ventura lent his voice as a motivational speaker on tape. It seems like the actor is actually retarded, too should we admire the bravery of casting real Special Olympians? What happens is that the hero, Steve Barker (Knoxville), listens to one self-help tape too many: Hey, you! I would recommend this movie to everyone. A widowed father struggles to hold together his family of three teenagers, one of whom is intellectually challenged and enrolled in a state school for "special" children where he finds fulfillment in his love of sports, emulating his older, athletic brother. And its an interesting thing about those friends. How do you recover from that? Johnny Knoxville. But I will say the actors were fantastic, genuine and funny. They have four children. Vastly underrated. A longtime volunteer with Best Buddies, a mentoring program for people with intellectual disabilities, Farrelly saw an opportunity to show the moviegoing masses that people with intellectual disabilities are multifaceted and, most of all, fun. It also wants us to laugh at the persona he eventually chooses, a lad named Jeffy who has the same speech patterns as Gollum. Whew. Read more. Ring actors disabled? Eddie's most famous line might be from the scene in which he and Takes a premise that could've backfired, but masterfully uses it for humor and heart. The popular 2005 Farrelly Watch The Ringer Photos 36 Top cast Edit Johnny Knoxville Steve Barker Katherine Heigl Lynn Sheridan Brian Cox Gary Barker Jed Rees Glen Bill Chott Thomas Edward Barbanell Billy Leonard Earl Howze Mark Geoffrey Arend Winston John Taylor Rudy Luis Avalos Stavi Leonard Flowers Jimmy Zen Gesner David Patrick Steve Levy Steve Levy Alcides Dias Michael So hot, in fact, that Blaustein, who co-wrote the scripts for Coming to America, Boomerang and The Nutty Professor, shelved the idea of asking Eddie Murphy to play Jimmy and drove to San Antonio to meet Flowers. Ten minutes into the photo shoot, with stylists giggling and the stars jelling like they were back on set, Knoxville . I want your autograph. Steve reluctantly does so, but hires him to work around his apartment. Actor: The Ringer. are my friends. better man -- one who sees them as real people, real friends, not College football reporters' NFL draft takeaways, Hits and Misses: Jahream night for Tigers fullback, Super -- Not So Super -- Rd10: D-Mac on fire, Tahs still searching for 80-minute game, What to expect from Boomers' opponents at FIBA World Cup, Rangers-Devils Game 7: Key players, matchups and final score predictions, Ranking the fights at UFC 288: Why Henry Cejudo's return tops the list, LIVE Transfer Talk: Man United, PSG to battle for Abraham. Horrible Right? While there is some grossness, as was perhaps expected, the makers are actually quite respectful of the people involved in the Special Olympics. About 150 disabled actors are involved in the film. "Eddie Murphy," Flowers said. Knoxville plays a mild-mannered workaday chap who, in a desperate bid for cash, agrees to go along with his smarmy uncles underhanded plan: hell feign a mental disability in an attempt to rig the Special Olympics. Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations. Don't expect 'The Godfather' or 'High Fidelity' with regards depth, nor 'Dumb & Dumber' for cult status, just a nice film you can watch with your girlfriend. To chat with the 33-year-old Flowers, you'd never know, either. So the movie is in horrible taste and Politically Incorrect and an affront to all that is decent, right? Stiller? The megamasochistic Jackass, who's attached electrodes to his testicles and gone one-on-one with a Taser all in the name of "fun," is at it again. "The Ringer", True Equality for All or a Step Backwards? "I love how you know the pose, Leonard," Knoxville says. I and others might be slower than you. "Hall Pass" with Owen Wilson and Christina Applegate. (AP). The Ringer - Full Cast & Crew. I have to say that, I don't think that anyone who left the theatre tonight went away without learning something. There was some clever writing (not genius but sharp), Johnny Knoxville had some cracking lines, the accusation directed at the leading ladies boyfriend of 'he poked me in the chest and called me stupid'(sic) was a cracker. You inspire me. The Ringer is a 2005 American slapstick sports comedy starring Johnny Knoxville, Katherine Heigl, and Brian Cox with cameos by Terry Funk and Jesse Ventura. The Ring was released in theaters on December 23, 2005. Directed by Barry W. Blaustein. So is it really OK to laugh at the Special Olympics? I mean it. And then there's his new acting career. Sure, you notice the lisp when Flowers talks, but 95% of the time it hits your ears in a timely manner. "We had to find a way to make this movie without giving away all creative rights. During the competition, Steve falls in love with Lynn (Katherine Heigl), a volunteer for the Special Olympics. About 150 athletes and actors with disabilities take part in the film, Farrelly said, the largest group of people with intellectual disabilities ever to appear in a popular film. Jackass fans will find plenty to like in The Ringer, Knoxville said. Knoxville is on target as Nothing Special, and Brian Cox demonstrates why he is not only in every movie made, but deserves to be. [3] Is the ringer kid friendly? The tape works him into a lather and he demands a promotion. Language matters," a Lincoln psychologist and author says. Yes, it's connected to the Farrelly brothers, specialists in bad taste, the same Bobby and Peter who showed the guy's artificial thumb rolling down the alley stuck in his bowling ball; indeed, the same Peter and Bobby who in "There's Something About Mary" gave us the hair gel that could have taken cell cloning research in a new direction. Moments later, Flowers lords over Knoxville like a matador, heel jammed in his co-star's back. TV Shows. His con-man uncle (Brian Cox) suggests he pose as mentally challenged and enter the . But even then, Flowers has the confidence of somebody who's answered your query as eloquently as the secretary of state. The film received mixed reviews, but its positive depiction of mentally disabled characters was received approvingly by multiple commentators. Not much to say except watch it. Rated PG-13 Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans Jr. on the "Let's Be Cops," red carpet, Selena Gomez is immortalized in wax and more. Four jobs, to be exact. NOT a "heavy" message film at all, just a comedy for everyone who loves to laugh, regardless of their abilities. Youre not laughing at them. They said they never knew what it was like to be around special people and were sometimes scared. More likely. These are human beings. The encounter with their Japanese hosts generates strangeness and difficulties, but also discoveries and joys. Well Done! Yet the Farrelly Bros. strike again. Uncle Gary still ends up winning his bet, as his condition was that Jimmy would lose. December 23, 2005. Knoxville plays a man who goes into debt after causing an accident which injures his gardener. Johnny Knoxville stars as a guy who needs to raise money fast. the irreverent humor typical of Farrelly Brothers movies, the And there's a beautiful volunteer named Lynn (Katherine Heigl), who Steve falls in love with -- as Jeffy, leading to complications. This list of The Ringer actors includes any The Ringer actresses and all other actors from the film. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Some of the Special characters are disabled, some are not, but all are seen as engaging and valuable people. The Ringer. IE 11 is not supported. He mows lawns. It really pushes boundaries, he said. The plot takes care of itself, on the level of a competent sitcom. The Special Olympics? "I'm Ryan O'Neal," Knoxville says, and on cue Flowers mimics Babs' classic uppercut. Though he engages in some of his trademark jackassery getting hit in the crotch with water balloons, landing the wrong way on high-jump bars, and so forth he is largely the straight man to his mentally challenged friends. Steve doesn't have that kind of money, and there's no way he can get it on time. Katherine Heigl. He has what was known as highly-functioning MR. At the time, anyone with an IQ of less than 80 was allowed to participate in Special Olympics (the threshold has since been "raised" to 70), and Flowers, who grew up with five siblings in San Antonio's rough Denver Heights neighborhood, tested time and again in the acceptable SO range. Yet the only laughs in the movie come from the mentally challenged characters, most of whom arent actually retarded, but are merely regular actors impersonating mentally handicapped people impersonating them in a way that makes us want to laugh at them. Disabilities are different, and call for different responses. For starters, the 5'6'' lefty point guard was carving the other team to shreds. Login to create it. Early in a basketball game, the opposing coach called time and asked to see proof that Flowers was, in fact . During this time, six other contestants see through Steve's act, so he tells them the truth about Stavi. Great movie with a good message. Blaustein knew he'd found his actor. It treats its disabled characters with affection and respect and it's actually kind of sweet. They ask me, 'Can I take Then the trailer for "The Ringer" disappeared for a while and then resurfaced completely re-edited. The movie The Ringer was directed by the Farley brothers and stars Johnny Knoxville. "What would you say to Eddie right now if you could?" He's so well-known in SO circles that when Ringer director Barry Blaustein asked the organization to help cast an actual athlete in the role of cocky champ Jimmy Washington, Flowers was the first name offered. It does make many people uncomfortable as a topic, but this film handles all these issues beautifully and was made with the support and guidance of Special Olympics with real mentally challenged athletes in pivotal roles. So Steve fires him, and then hires him to mow the lawn at his condo, and gives him a raise out of his own salary, and then Stavi Loses Fingers. There's something for everyone. You know how in movies, blind people are always supernaturally good at getting around and knowing their surroundings? I remember thinking that what I took away was that retarded people are a lot more intelligent than I thought. "Since 'The Ringer' came out, people stop me now and they want Sorry, The Ringer. This isnt the Special Olympics. He played Billy in The Ringer. In "The Ringer," produced -- but not written or directed -- by Peter and Bobby Farrelly, Johnny Knoxville plays Steve, a perfectly normal, if loserish, guy who pretends to be mentally. "Everybody feels like they have to talk down to them real loud and slow, but you just have to talk to them on a real level, man.". Was shot 5. You can cancel at any time. "[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". you scratched it! Ultimately, the filmmakers did the almost unthinkable: they gave the Special Olympics board final say on the script, plus the chance to cut any ad-libbed scenes once the movie was finished. There are so many people who have a difficult time with the holiday season, and I guess I'm one of them. ), Movie reviews "Snide Remarks" general merriment. It's also a nice vehicle for a positive image to be presented for mentally- challenged people (formerl called "retards"). I like Johnny Knoxville. ", "So they saw me doing my shtick," he said, "and they changed the The plot holds up to the level of a competent sitcom, the movie isnt great, but I liked the spirit. I've known a lot of unique beings and been through a lot so I have a lot of sympathy for people that are different. Six months later, Steve has quit his job and is working in theater, producing a play with the friends he made during the Special Olympics, as well as Stavi, who got his fingers reattached. Lynn already forgives him because Stavi told her why Steve pretended to be developmentally disabled. Movies. They want to shake my hand. Johnny Knoxville? At one point, Steve feels remorse for taking part in the Special Olympics and tells a priest in a confession booth, only for the priest to punch him in the face and kick him out of church. Give it a chance and you will love it! Not necessarily. Stay on current site or go to US version. He played Billy in The Ringer. Also some regular Special Guys who, once they've blown Jeffy's cover, think it's cool that anyone would be stupid enough to try a stunt like that. That comes when you ask a question of some depth. Johnny Knoxville is up to his old tricks. Brian Cox plays a great Uncle Gary, and Katherine Heigl is wonderfully sweet as Lynn. Although, it must be noted that only a few of the actors were actually mentally handicapped. By weekend? Steve Barker (Johnny Knoxville) suddenly receives a promotion at work, and is forced to fire his friend Stavi (Luis valos). This time he's getting the snot kicked out of him in table tennis. Brothers comedy starred Johnny Knoxville as Steve, a man pretending Well, almost never. Step by step, these situations strengthen our athletes, who find themselves increasingly united. Filming locations include Austin, Texas. "And out of 600 people, they picked Then there's a long silence while Flowers tries to collect his thoughts and push them past his lips in a coherent manner--usually to no avail, the words coming out in bits and pieces amounting to nothing more than bits and pieces. I have been writing poems, though. Says Eddie: "That just knocked down that negative stereotype. Its very funny, but I also saw the potential for changing peoples perceptions of people with intellectual disabilities.. He ad-libbed some of his Minireview: "Ringer" (Comedy, PG-13, 94 minutes). It's about a guy who pretends to be retarded so he can win in Special Olympics. Well, this is what happens in the new film "The Ringer." He played Billy in The Ringer. Their execution is, as always, not.