Handicapped Movies

Whoever was put in charge of marketing The Ringer should be taken outside and beaten with wet noodles. For as far as I can tell, the movie is completely failing at the box office and rightly so. From what I saw of the movie, I didn't want to see it. But of course, last week I was on vacation and ended up seeing it out of boredom and the fact that I'd seen nearly everything else.

So guess what? It's really good. The plot centers around Johnny Knoxville joining the Special Olympics in order to rig it. Initially the story sounds offensive and demeaning to mentally handicapped people. All the previews suggested that the movie was about making fun of the disabled. But it's actually a heartwarming tale of redemption and treats the mentally handicapped with sincere fondness. In fact, the movie doesn't hire actors to play disable people, but has actors with the disorders. Script approval was even given to the good people at the Special Olympics.

Plus, the movie is side splittingly funny and not at the expense of the handicapped. In fact, as my friend R-dogg noted, one of the best lines is given by a young actor with downs syndrome. The subject matter is treated with great hilarity and delicacy. Go see it and laugh. Ignore the ridiculously poor marketing.