 |
Friday, December 23, 2005
It's no contest: 'Ringer' is bland and predictable
The big joke in "The Ringer" is that a nervous cubicle-land drone, Steve (Johnny Knoxville), poses as a mentally handicapped athlete to rig the Special Olympics. In fact, that's about the only joke, and for a premise so loaded with possibilities, it's a pretty flat one.
 | MOVIE REVIEW | ||
| |||
View all photosYou'd think Knoxville, after all those years being a public "Jackass" on TV, would be perfect for the role, but he's handicapped by a part so tepid that his sweetly inoffensive handicapped alter-ego, Jeffy, has more personality than his "real life" identity, and he hardly puts any effort into it.
Knoxville's sly glint and mischievous grin are suppressed, leaving only a reluctant nice guy (he's only doing it to pay the surgery fees for a friend) in a despicable and potentially combustible situation. One might expect him to aggressively overcompensate with manic antics or at least wallow in his anxiety. All Knoxville does is smile benignly and talk about himself in the third person.
That's par for this film's predictable course, which is too timid to let loose with the promised torrent of bad taste. What, they're afraid of offending someone? With this premise?
The handicapped buddies are definitely in on the joke here. They tip to Steve's ruse immediately and wind up coaching him to beat the insufferable egomaniac of a reigning champ, forming a fun-loving club that only grudgingly allows Steve in as a member.
The guys are fun and cute, in a bland sort of way, (which may be why the Special Olympics agreed to cooperate with the film), but the film is simply bland.
Not extreme enough to skate the edge of tasteless farce and not straight enough to play the material for edgy satire, "The Ringer" is a cheat right down to the final stretch. Breaking the rules should be more fun than this.
My web site
My Yahoo!
Google
· Brendan Fraser lays out the 12 steps to an action movie's success
· Watch This: 'The Tracey Fragments'
· DVD review: The Closer: Complete Third Season
· The perfect subject for 'Gonzo'
· Thompson portrait reveals a man shaped -- and undone -- by his times
· 'Gits' remembers the peak of Seattle punk
· 'Brick Lane' is a journey of identity and assimilation
· 'Hancock' and 'Kittredge' have strengths
· Limited movie reviews
· Seattle movie events
· Watch This: 'Drillbit Taylor'
· Parents Film Guide
more· Actors union ratifies deal with Hollywood studios
· Matthew McConaughey, girlfriend welcome baby boy
· Psychiatrist: Brinkley should weigh choice of men
· Drew Barrymore and Justin Long end relationship
· Kidman, Urban pick Sunday Rose for newborn girl
more
101 Elliott Ave. W.
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 448-8000
Home Delivery: (206) 464-2121 or (800) 542-0820
seattlepi.com serves about 1.7 million unique visitors
and 30 million page views each month.
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
Send investigative tips to iteam@seattlepi.com
©1996-2008 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Terms of Use/Privacy Policy
