Film

The Ringer

Name: The Ringer
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2005
Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Brian Cox, Katherine Heigl, Geoffrey Arend, Edward Barbanell

Comedy

Johnny Knoxville plays a broke schemer who infiltrates the Special Olympics by faking an intellectual disability—a premise that somehow becomes genuinely touching. It's a stupid-premise film that earns its sentiment, finds real heart in its characters with Down syndrome, and works as both comedy and an unlikely redemption story. For people who like their comedies rough-edged but ultimately kind.

TMDb rating

2.8

If you liked this

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story2004

Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn in a sports-parody comedy that's gleefully absurd while keeping its characters fundamentally likeable. Fast, quotable, and genuinely funny without punching down.

But If you're tired of mid-2000s comedy styles and ironic detachment, this leans hard into both. Also uses tired tropes about gym culture.

Tropic Thunder2008

Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller, and Jack Black in a war-film parody about actors playing soldiers. Audacious, endlessly inventive, and genuinely hilarious about ego, ambition, and the entertainment industry's worst impulses.

But It's deliberately offensive and relies on shock comedy. Some of the satire lands better in retrospect than it did in 2008, and if you don't find the premise funny, nothing will fix it.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby2006

Will Ferrell as a dimwitted NASCAR champion. It's a character comedy that doesn't require you to care about racing, loves its absurd supporting cast (John C. Reilly is perfect), and commits fully to its silliness.

But The joke is sometimes just that Ricky Bobby is dumb. If you find that repetitive, there's not much else underneath to sustain you through 110 minutes.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Ringer

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Chungking Express1994

Both films find profound kindness and growth in characters others would dismiss as lost causes. Both believe in redemption through seeing someone clearly.

Wong Kar-wai's romantic comedy about two lonely people finding connection in Hong Kong feels like poetry. Visual beauty, tender and dreamy, about misfits learning to care for something beyond themselves—the engine under The Ringer's emotional journey.

But It's in Cantonese with subtitles, visually avant-garde, and the plot is minimal and dreamlike. If you need straightforward narrative and realistic cinematography, this is the opposite.

Napoleon Dynamite2004

A deadpan comedy about a socially isolated teenager that finds warmth and weirdness in small-town Idaho. Unique in voice, unexpectedly moving, and has developed a genuine cult following for good reason.

But The humour is very dry and understated. If you need snappy jokes and constant laughs, the pacing will feel glacial. It's deliberately awkward, which isn't for everyone.

The Waterboy1998

Adam Sandler as a sheltered guy thrust into the world of professional football. It's silly and heart-forward, finds genuine comedy in kindness, and Rob Schneider is mysteriously great in it.

But Sandler's early stuff relies on his goofy voice work and odd-couple dynamics. If you find his comedic style irritating, this won't change your mind.

Little Nicky2000

Sandler plays a slow, childlike guy trying to navigate New York and stop his demonic father. It's weirder than it has any right to be, committed to its bizarre mythology, and surprisingly sweet.

But It's genuinely odd in ways that don't always land. The plot is scattered, and it hinges on the premise that a man-child stumbling through the city is inherently funny—which requires patience.

The School of Rock2003

Jack Black as a failed musician posing as a teacher to stay on his bandmate's couch. It's got heart, real child performances, and Black's energy channelled into something with actual emotional stakes.

But The music-teacher-saves-kids plot is familiar, and Jack Black can't play characters with much range. If you find his intensity exhausting, this won't ease that.

Pauly Shore Is Dead2003

Pauly Shore plays himself trying to stage his own suicide for attention after his career tanks. It's absurdist, self-aware, and a genuinely surprising bit of meta-comedy that shouldn't work but does.

But Pauly Shore is the entire movie. If you don't find him at least somewhat tolerable or interesting as a curiosity, there's no lifeline here.

Sling Blade1996

Both put a character with an intellectual disability at the centre and trust audiences to see their full complexity. Both refuse to sentimentalise or pity.

Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed, and stars as Karl, a man with an intellectual disability released from prison. It's serious, devastating, but full of humanity and dignity. Shows what The Ringer is instinctively reaching for but from the other side.

But It's not comedy at all—it's dark, sad, and deals with abuse and loss. The pace is slow and meditative. This is a completely different emotional experience, and the shift could feel jarring.

Special2006

Both are small, strange comedies about forgotten men discovering they have worth. Both use their impossible premises to ask what it means to deserve love and respect.

Paul Dooley as a man in his fifties who discovers he has superpowers (or doesn't—the film is ambiguous). A quiet, strange film about wish-fulfillment and the longing of ordinary people to matter. Strangely touching and deeply weird in equal measure.

But It's achingly slow, visually flat, and the ambiguity might frustrate you. If you're looking for clear answers or exciting visuals, you'll find neither. It's an art film with a superhero premise, not the other way around.