The Ringer (DVD)

The Peter and Bobby Farrelly brother produced comedy The Ringer starring ubiquitous Jackass star Johnny Knoxville had to be one of the most bizarre Christmas theatrical releases ever to hit the Cineplex. Not because gross-out comedies like There's Something About Mary or Kingpin can't, or don't, do well during the holidays, but because the film's premise sounded so insultingly crass and heinous it was impossible to fathom people actually taking the time to go and see it.

And they didn't. The implausible scenario of a man (Knoxville) trying to rig the Special Olympics to try and save the freshly cut-off fingers of his non-English speaking immigrant gardener is as dubious and insulting as anything I've ever heard. Even though it takes a great deal to offend me I and plenty of others thought this comedy was going make us more mad than glad, making fun of people, individuals and institutions that didn't deserve the stereotypical lambasting. Not only did audiences not go see it, they didn't go see it in droves, and I can't exactly say I'm any better a judge of this picture's merits than they were because I managed to avoid it, too. More so, I could have seen it for free.

We all shouldn't have gotten so bent out of shape. While The Ringer isn't near as good as it could be, it is still a surprisingly sweet, tender and genuinely funny comedy of error, hardship and regret anchored by a supporting cast of characters that can't help but break your heart. Made with the support and guidance of the Special Olympics, the Farrellys and director Barry W. Blaustein (Beyond the Mat) go out of their way not to mock their cast of mentally challenged athletes. In fact, the best moments in the entire film are theirs, the group's smackdown with Knoxville about his charade about as funny a comedic moment as any I've seen in a long time.

Don't get me wrong. The movie is far too obsessed with not trying to offend anyone that it actually pulls more punches than it should allowing jokes that could have left people in stitches fall flat. Ultimately, the film isn't anything more than a love story, and as cute as Knoxville and costar Katherine Heigl (Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens on "Grey's Anatomy") are they're about as believable as a couple George W. Bush and Hillary Clinton sitting down hand-in-hand at a Florida clambake. The whole thing runs in fits and starts, only soaring to stratospherically hysterical heights every time the cast of actual Special Olympians takes center stage and puts Knoxville and the rest of the cast (including a game – and viciously funny – Brian Cox, X2: X-Men United) to shame.

Fox Searchlight's DVD release of The Ringer contains both Widescreen (a very crisp, almost beautiful 2.35:1 transfer) and Full Screen versions of the comedy, English and Spanish audio tracks, an introduction to Special Olympics by organization chairman Tim Shriver, a feauturette on the organization, a brief making-of doc and 16 deleted scenes (which includes one honest-to-goodness pee-your-pants corker that, in spite of its hilariousness, is easy to see why it didn't make it into the picture).

Best of all is a raucous audio commentary with Knoxville, Blaustein, producer Peter Farrelly, writer Ricky Blitt (a staff writer for "Family Guy") and Special Olympian costars Edward Barbanell and John Taylor. This commentary proves to be more entertaining, funny and insightful than the film, easily one of the best tracks I've ever had the pleasure to listen to. Barbanell and Taylor jab, cajole and poke fun at their cohorts with astonishing wit and ferocity, everyone obviously so happy with the picture their good spirits can't help but become infectious.

The Ringer surprised me. While it was predictable and slightly rudimentary far a romantic comedy of mistaken identity and missed opportunities, as a look into the world of Special Olympics, a world most people only know in stereotypes, the film is nearly a revelation. Funny and endearing, it is a pleasant time passer sure to warm the heart and lift the spirits of even the most nascent and hateful viewer, with even Scrooge himself sure to have been won over by the picture's many charms. It certainly made me smile, and that by its lonesome is enough to make me applaud and recommend it for rental.