Line #35 Film/TheRinger


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ringer.png]]
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3	''The Ringer'' is a 2005 comedy film directed by Barry W. Blaustein and starring Creator/JohnnyKnoxville, Creator/BrianCox, and Creator/KatherineHeigl.
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5	Steve Baker (Knoxville) hates his job. After two years of being stuck in a menial position, he finally works up the nerve to ask his boss for a promotion. To his surprise, he gets it, but there's a hitch: his first assignment is to fire the janitor, his friend Stavi (Luis Ávalos). He does, but decides to cut him a break, and hire him to mow the lawn at his apartment...
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7	...where Stavi gets his fingers cut off trying to get the mower working. With no insurance, and not enough money to afford the operation, all seems hopeless. Enter Steve's Uncle Gary (Cox), a dirtbag deep in money to some bad people. After seeing a spot on superstar Special Olympics athlete Jimmy Washington, he hatches a plan to save his own skin, and Stavi's fingers: have Steve pretend to be mentally challenged and enter him in the Special Olympics.
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9	!!This film provides examples of:
10	* BadBadActing: Steve's disabled act doesn't fool the real disabled athletes for a minute.
11	--> '''Mark:''' I've seen better acting on ''pornos!''
12	** It does do a good job at fooling the workers and audience, though.
13	* BarrierBustingBlow: After admitting his act to a preacher in a {{confessional}}, said preacher proceeds to punch through the window and right in Steve's face.
14	* BerserkButton: Steve's gets hit when Gary repeatedly calls the other athletes "retards."
15	-->'''Steve:''' Don't ever say that word to me again! I mean it. These guys are my friends.
16	* BrickJoke: The priest that threw Steve out of church for confessing his scheme comes back in another scene to bet on him.
17	* ButtMonkey: Karma never misses an opportunity to bite Steve in the ass for what he's doing.
18	** The first we see of Stavi is him being fired. Then his fingers get chopped off. Then he's revealed as a single dad of five children. His final scene is him dropping a sandbag onto his own head.
19	* TheCameo: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kids_of_Widney_High The Kids of Widney High]] make two memorable appearances.
20	* CharacterNameAlias: While pretending to be disabled, Steve adopts the name Jeffy Dahmor, last name pronounced the same as that of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
21	* CountingToPotato: Steve Baker is pretending to be mentally retarded, and one of the things he says while practicing in the mirror is, "[[TropeNamer I can count to potato]]!"
22	* DancePartyEnding: One of the most heart-warming you’ll ever see.
23	* DarkhorseVictory: [[spoiler: Glen, one of the other athletes that Steve befriends, wins the competition, while Jimmy places second and Steve third (and even then, Steve will give up his medal to the fourth-place athlete when he decides to abandon the charade out of his new-found respect for the Special Olympians). However, Steve still wins the bet that gets him the money he needs, since the bet wasn't for Steve to win, but for Jimmy to lose.]]
24	* ADayInTheLimelight: A movie about Special Olympics with many notable roles by disabled actors.
25	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Steve doesn't train for the games like the actual disable athletes did. It gets him smoked over and over again before his TrainingMontage.
26	* {{Fingore}}: Stavi gets his fingers chopped off fiddling with the mower.
27	* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler:Jimmy Washington, despite being portrayed a JerkJock with an ego problem, is polite about his silver medal.]]
28	* InspirationallyDisadvantaged: Played with. The athletes are disabled, but they know how to play it up around their supervisors.
29	* JerkJock: Jimmy Washington. Powerful enough that he could compete with neurotypical athletes if he wanted, and all too aware of that fact.
30	* LargeHam: Creator/BrianCox has fun with his limited role.
31	--> '''Steve:''' Actually I need $28,000.
32	--> '''Gary:''' 28 GRAND! What'd you do, knock up a cheerleading squad?!"
33	* LighterAndSofter: Much more family friendly than the average Farrelly Brothers or Johnny Knoxville movie.
34	* NotSoAboveItAll: The priest who punches out Steve for attempting to cheat in the Special Olympics is later seen in a bar betting on him with his uncle's bookie..
35	* ObfuscatingDisability: PlayedForLaughs. Steve, hoping to win big, fakes being mentally handicapped to compete in the Special Olympics. The other athletes see through him immediately, but help him keep up the facade, because they're hoping he can defeat JerkJock frontrunner Jimmy.
36	* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Steve slipping out of his disabled voice in annoyance is what tips the other athletes off that he's faking.
37	* PrecisionFStrike: When David's trying to cover the athletes' late return.
38	--->'''David:''' We stopped off for ice cream.
39	--->'''Winston:''' When the ''fuck'' did we get ice cream?
40	* ShownTheirWork: As [[https://www.toptenz.net/10-movies-get-people-special-needs-right.php#google_vignette this article]] shows The Farrelly Brothers have a long history working as advocates for people with disabilities. The movie really captures the spirit of Special Olympics as well.
41	* TakeThat: Among Steve's movies about mentally challenged people is "The Best of Creator/ChevyChase".

Context Film / TheRinger