You should feel guilty wanting to see a movie that pokes fun at the mentally challenged. How can anyone in Hollywood want to sink that low to ... hold on a sec ... the Special Olympic Committee signed off on this film and they endorse it completely?!
We are talking about the same Farrelly Brothers who pushed the political correctness envelop with such films as There's Something About Mary, Dumb & Dumber, Stuck on You, and Shallow Hal... aren't we?
Steve Barker (Knoxville) is in desperate need for cash. His friend needs an operation and his uncle (Cox) is in way too deep with a bookie.
So Steve decides to fix the Special Olympics by pretending to be a person with intellectual disabilities. It doesn't take long for Steve to realize that his fellow Olympians are not only better athletes than he is - but they are also wiser in the ways of the world. Several of his fellow competitors immediately spot Steve as a fraud, but because they too would like to see the fall of Jimmy, the snooty reigning champion, they train Steve to become a better athlete.
This movie would have been a lot better if the Farrellys had directed this film, instead of leaving it in the inexperienced hands of Blaustein.
It felt like a boorish sitcom with Knoxville bumbling and fumbling from one scene to the next. Johnny still needs some work on his comedic timing and I'm not sure he can carry a film on his own just quite yet, especially if it is not focused solely on physical humour, which is his claim to fame.
But I liked the spirit of the film because it portrays the special characters as engaging and valuable people, and all "that kind of humour" you were expecting is only targeted at Knoxville.
