A desperate guy agrees to an incredibly offensive and unbelievably stupid scheme to rig a major athletic competition and solve his financial problems. The plan immediately becomes more complicated when the people he’s trying to fool turn out to be a hell of a lot smarter than he expected. What could have been a complete disaster somehow becomes a surprisingly sweet comedy about friendship, acceptance, and realizing you’re the asshole in your own plan. Next week we’re reviewing a movie built around a premise that sounds almost impossible to make today.

Commissioned by: Heather T. • 9/18/26

• Year: 2005
• Budget: About $20 million
• Box Office: About $40 million worldwide
• Awards: No major awards
• Fun Facts: The film stars Johnny Knoxville and was produced by the Farrelly brothers. The filmmakers worked with the Special Olympics during production, and several performers with intellectual disabilities played major roles rather than simply appearing in the background. The Special Olympics organization ultimately supported the film after being involved with the project and reviewing the script. Despite the deliberately provocative premise, much of the movie’s humor ultimately comes from making Knoxville’s character the clueless target of the joke.