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Knoxville's character, Steve Barker is convinced by his bookie uncle, Gary (Brian Cox), to "fix" the Special Olympics in order to improve their respective financial situations. Barker's janitor friend loses three of his fingers in an accident with a lawn mower, and Steve needs $28,000 to have them surgically re-attached. Gary, by virtue of being an unlucky bet maker, also needs about $40,000. After much begging and merciless solicitation, Steve reluctantly agrees to compete in the Special Olympics so his uncle can make a $100,000 bet on the outcome of the games.

Doing his best to assume the mannerisms and speech patterns of a mentally challenged person, Steve takes the name "Jeffy" and dives into the competition. Feeling a pang of conscience, Steve is about to bail out of the whole operation until he meets sweet, striking Special Olympics volunteer Lynn Sheridan (Katherine Heigl). Lynn takes a special interest in "Jeffy," and her warm, winning personality and gorgeous good-looks are enough to turn Steve to proverbial mush.

Some of the funniest moments in the film come when the bona fide Special Olympics competitors (several played by mentally challenged actors) quickly discover Steve's ruse, then reject and belittle him. Ultimately, they become friends and the group conspires to help the imposter take down the snobbish, reigning athletic champ.

I like to think of myself as a very open, unprejudiced person, but this movie nonetheless changed the way I see those members of our society who struggle with mental challenges. I wasn't aware I had any particular preconceptions about the mentally challenged, but due in large part to their fabulous portrayal in "The Ringer," I now feel a renewed sense of respect for them. The mental sharpness they display is amazing and refreshing - and they steal audiences' attention in most of their scenes.

The movie is not funny enough to be a classic comedy, nor is it powerful enough to be a serious drama; however, the warmth between Knoxville, Heigl and the "special" cast members is touching. "The Ringer" falls somewhere between the lines of "Dumb and Dumber" and "There's Something About Mary" - but not quite as funny. As a note - the film has been endorsed by the Special Olympics for its positive portrayal of people with mental challenges.