The Ringer is a 2005 comedy starring Johnny Knoxville, Katherine Heigl, and Brian Cox. It is produced by the Farrelly Brothers and was released on December 23, 2005. The story follows Steve (Knoxville), who must raise a large sum of money to pay for a surgery to re-attach his gardener's fingers. His uncle Gary (Cox), who owes thousands in gambling debts, suggests that they fix the Special Olympics in order to solve both of their financial problems. Steve, who competed in track and field in high school, enters the Special Olympics in the guise of a developmentally disabled man named Jeffy. Gary, assuming that Steve will easily defeat the legitimate contenders, bets $100,000 that reigning champion Jimmy (Leonard Flowers) will not win the gold medal. The other contestants easily spot this ringer, but they want to see Jimmy dethroned.

The film was originally pitched to Timothy Perry Shriver, chairman of the Special Olympics, and the other board members of the Special Olympics in 1998, and it took many rewrites before the film could be approved. As a result, the movie cut out a lot of offensive material, some of which had nothing to do with intellectual disabilities (violence and language was toned down). Because of the cooperation of the producer of the film, it was given a full endorsement by the Special Olympics' National Headquarters. Shriver is convinced about the film changing people's opinions of those with special needs. Shriver states that "The risk was that it would further the stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities as the brunt of jokes rather than the teller of jokes - but the payoff was even more valuable." Producer Peter Farrelly says, "I saw the potential for changing people's perceptions of people with intellectual disabilities. You're not laughing at them. You're really laughing with them. There are a lot of jokes in this movie, and they're in on them all."

Johnny Knoxville became so enthralled working with the athletes that he has volunteered himself to be involved with the organization for life.

Fans of the television program South Park have held criticism against the movie, noting heavy similarity between the plot of the film and Eric Cartman's subplot in the episode "Up the Down Steroid." However, it is to be noted that The Ringer was originally written and entered pre-production in 1998 and filmed in late 2003, a full 3-6 months before the South Park episode aired. Additionally, screenwriter Ricky Blitt and the Farrely brothers have accused South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone of plagiarizing The Ringer's story, which the latter duo deny.