the ringer

Director: barry w. blaustein

Actor: johnny knoxville,katherine heigl,brian cox,jed rees

Data Published: Fri Dec 23 2005

Genres: Comedy,Sport

Key Words: special olympics,mentally challenged,punched in the stomach,disabled athlete,cartoon on tv

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267891/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ringer_(2005_film)

Description: The Ringer is a movie starring Johnny Knoxville, Katherine Heigl, and Brian Cox. A young guy's only option to erase a really bad debt is to rig the Special Olympics by posing as a contestant.

Plot: Steve Barker (Johnny Knoxville) hates his job but after over two years of working, receives a promotion. His first duty is to fire his friend Stavi, who is the janitor. Steve fires Stavi (Luis Ávalos), but hires him to work around his apartment. Stavi gets three fingers cut off in a lawn-mower accident, and reveals that he doesn't have health insurance. Steve must raise $28,000 within two weeks to pay for the surgery to re-attach his friend's fingers. His uncle Gary (Brian Cox), owes $40,000 in gambling debts and suggests that they fix the Special Olympics in San Marcos, Texas in order to solve both of their financial problems. Steve, who competed in track and field in high school as well as being in the drama club, reluctantly enters the Special Olympics in the guise of a high functioning young man with a developmental disability named Jeffy Dahmor. Gary, assuming that Steve will easily defeat the legitimate contenders, bets $100,000 that reigning champion Jimmy Washington won't win the gold medal. Despite initially being disgusted at pretending to be mentally challenged, Steve goes along with it for Stavi. During the competition, Steve falls in love with Lynn (Katherine Heigl), a volunteer for the Special Olympics. During this time, six of the other contestants bust Steve after seeing through his ruse, so he tells them about what happened with Stavi. As Steve decides to pack up and leave for his ruse being exposed, they tell Steve to stay, since they want to help Steve save Stavi's fingers and they hate the egotistical, arrogant champion Jimmy and want to see him lose. At the final competition, Steve doesn't actually win; his friend Glen does, with Steve coming in third behind Jimmy. During the medal ceremony Steve admits that he isn't developmentally disabled, reveals his actual name, and that he doesn't deserve his medal. He then gives his medal to Thomas, who had finished fourth. Uncle Gary still ends up winning his bet, since the condition was that Jimmy would lose. Six months later, Steve has quit his job and is working in theater, helping produce a play with the friends he made during the Special Olympics, as well as Stavi, who got his fingers reattached. Glen and the others trick Lynn into coming to the theater, so Steve starts to apologize. Lynn already forgives him because Stavi told her why Steve pretended to be developmentally disabled. Steve is relieved, and they kiss.