The Ringer

The Ringer

DVD Rating: **

Reviewed by: Trash Fletcher

Read Kotleta's film review of The Ringer

Commentaries can be tricky business and can swing either way, here the commentary is boring to say the least, full of uninteresting facts and in-jokes and, worse still, American in-jokes. That's what happens when you let a producer in for the chat track folks, particularly when that producer is a Farrelly.

There's a making of featurette, which focuses largely on the Special Olympics and making it extremely clear that this film is pro mentally challenged people, which gets tremendously boring after a few minutes. Fortunately, it doesn't last too much longer than that.

Copy picture

Then there's a message from the chairman of the Special Olympics, which is slightly interesting but, really, despite the subject matter, has very little to do with the film. And then we have another featurette on - go on, guess - yes that's right, the Special Olympics, that again has zero ties with the actual film.

All that these featurettes really achieve is belittlement of the main feature film, making it just a film about the Special Olympics and nothing else - there are other things going on in the plot as well, surely?

There are some deleted scenes that weren't deleted due to time constraints but rather just because they're rubbish, except one, but that's because Geoffrey Arend - who plays one Special Olympian Winston - is the funniest guy in the whole film. The best feature on the disc? A trailer for That 70s Show on DVD.

Reviewed on: 25 Jul 2006
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The Ringer packshot
Nice guy pretends to be mentally handicapped so he can win Special Olympics.
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Product Code: 2723101000

Region: 2

Ratio: 1:33:1

Sound: Dolby Digital

Extras: Commentary by director Barry W. Blaustein, screenwriter Ricky Blitt, producer Peter Farrelly, and actors Johnny Knoxville, Edward Barbanell and John Taylor, 16 deleted scenes, "Let the Games Begin - A Look at The Ringer" featurette, Special Olympics featurette, A message from Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver


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