The Ringer

I saw a movie the other day that I really enjoyed. When I saw the first trailer more than a year ago I was a little concerned, simply because the story idea seemed like it was way out of line. It featured a good natured individual in a confession booth, talking to a priest about the heinous sin he committed and the priest telling him nothing is too brutal for God to forgive and the guy tells the priest that he has been pretending to be mentally handicapped in order to fix the Special Olympics. The priest’s fist comes crashing through the confessional into Johnny Knoxville’s face, and the next shot is of the priest throwing the guy out of the church. I wasn’t sure what to think.
In one of the interviews on the DVD, one of the reps from SO (this movie is endorsed by them, by the way) tells the story of what he did when he heard Johnny Knoxville was cast in the film. He went to some of the athletes and asked them what they thought of the casting and they said, “It’s perfect”. He asked them why and they replied, “Because he’s on Jackass and the kids who watch Jackass are the same kids who call us retards, and if he tells them not to, then they won’t.” I thought that was very moving actually.
I don’t know if many people really know the struggles that people with special needs go through. My brother Sean has Downs Syndrome, and he has been arguably the most influential person in my life for seeing how truly wonderful people can be, and how truly evil people can be. He has been stared at more than I have, and I have been sitting with him when it happens, and I know that even though people think he is too dumb to notice that he does. I have seen people steer clear of him, and I know he notices. I have also seen him hug newcomers to our church, and I have seen him cry when people he loves are fighting because it hurts him when they do. When he was in school we got a call from the principal saying Sean had hit a kid with his metal lunchbox because the kid called him a retard. Do you think we gave him a hard time when he got home? Most people have no idea how wonderful life is when a special needs person is around. They encourage you to be selfless, not because they need your help (but sometimes they do) but because often they are selfless about how they treat others.
One aspect that has become crystal clear lately is the emotional impact of the events that happen in my brothers life. People with special needs often have many physical difficulties and health problems, and the life expectancy isn’t always that long. My brother has lost more friends in the last couple of years than I could ever bear. And they aren’t dying because of accidents, or doing something stupid. His friends have died in their sleep, or had heart attacks, or simple because their body gave up. He doesn’t talk about it much, but I know it hurts him and scares him, and I admire the fact that he isn’t a wreck, because I would be. Did I mention he’s 29, two years younger than me? I think many folks feel that when we see someone picking on a special needs person they feel bad because the person can’t defend themselves. I feel bad because that person has no idea what they are missing out on by being ignorant and uninformed, and because they have no idea of how much they are damaging people with so much heart and love.
People have questioned me about using the word retard, because I will on occasion when someone is being stupid or does something dumb. The reason I feel comfortable using it is simply because I am not calling them a retard in order to associate them with someone with special needs, I am calling them that because they are being slow and stupid. In other words, I am using the word correctly.
Anyway, back to the movie. The first bit is meant to make us feel uncomfortable, because we see how the plan develops as Knoxville and his moron uncle (played with terrific sliminess by Brian Cox) need a ton of money for two different reasons. However, it is when the athletes come into it that this movie really shines. The guys we get focus on are a combination of different types of special needs. Downs, autism, and a few others. What’s great is how real it is. I was killing myself laughing when they were simply having conversation because they are so honest and so real. The humor is so genuine. I guess you could weigh in on how you feel about the movie being a message that “special” people are just the same as we are but I do believe it is a message that needs to get out there.
Perception is everything. You know who figures out he is faking? The athletes do, his buddies, figure out that “Jeffy” is a fake and proceed to tell him he couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag (what they actually said is funnier). They figure it out, just like they would in real life. And what’s even better is they help him continue the ruse so that he can help them beat Jimmy, the perennial winner of the SO pentathlon, because he has gotten so full of himself he is unbearable to be around, also true to life (although the way the training is carried out may not be). Ringer helped me get incite into things I hadn’t thought of before. There is a scene when the characters are talking about girls by the pool and the one guy is watching one of the female swimmers get out of the pool. As she climbs out of the water, it goes to slow motion and she shakes her hair a la “10”. She isn’t overly attractive, but to him she is. It would be tempting to think this shot was in poor taste because the girl isn’t what we would call attractive, but to him? If only we were all so quick to look on the inside.
The Ringer is a well rounded look at the world of the Special Olympics and the real athletes that compete in them, AND the people we see all the time on the bus, in the mall, out and about. It also represents the broad spectrum of our reactions too. There is the obvious ignoramous. There are the genuine people, who volunteer and help and get the fact that people are people. And then there is the guy I can’t stand, more than any other type of person. The guy who acts like he understands but really doesn’t and makes an ass out of himself and the people he is in contact with. The guy who will tell silly, little kid jokes so “they” will understand. The guy who talks slower and louder, like he would to a person who didn’t speak English. The guy who advocates without understanding or truly caring drives me nuts.
The movie is authentic and endearing, the only unfortunate thing is that it feels a little incomplete. Speaking strictly from a movemaking standpoint the love story seems forced, and they leave a lot of threads dangling, but then I don’t really think this movie is about that. This is movie you see to gain understanding, a movie that shows you it is OK to laugh.
Incidentally, for those of you who are inclined. The new Last Comic Standing has a comedian with cerebral palsy who is absolutely hilarious. Check it out.