Ricky Blitt Movies

A guy trying to do the right thing ends up taking part in one of the most morally dubious con games in history in this comedy. Steve Barker (Johnny Knoxville) is an office drone who wants to move up the corporate ladder, but when he asks his boss for a promotion, it comes with a condition -- Steve has to fire Stavi (Luis Avalos), who has been the firm's janitor for years. Steve decides to soften the blow by hiring Stavi to do his lawn and garden work. However, an accident robs Stavi of several of his fingers, and since he doesn't have medical insurance, Steve needs to find a way to pay for his surgery. Steve's uncle Gary (Brian Cox), a sleazy type who will bet on anything, also needs some fast cash, and comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme -- Steve was a track star in high school, and with the Special Olympics Championships coming up, all Steve has to do is pretend to be mentally challenged, enter the competition, and win the running events against six-time medalist Jimmy (Leonard Flowers). Gary will bet big on Steve, and the odds will allow them to clean up. Steve is appalled by the idea, but he needs the money badly enough to go along. However, Steve discovers that Jimmy is fast enough that he has little chance of beating him. However, Jimmy's colossal ego has made him many enemies among his fellow Special Olympians, and they're eager enough to see him taken down a peg that they help Steve train for the big event. Matters become all the more complicated when Steve becomes infatuated with Lynn (Katherine Heigl), a beautiful woman who has volunteered to help the challenged athletes, and would doubtless be furious if she found out what Steve was really doing. Produced by Peter Farrelly and Bobby Farrelly, The Ringer was the first fiction directorial credit for Barry W. Blaustein; the story also parallels a 2004 episode of the animated television series South Park, "Up the Down Steroid." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

It's Opening Day for the Boston Red Sox, so Peter (voice of Seth MacFarlane) decides to keep the kids out of school and take them to Fenway. He calls in sick to work, telling Mr. Weed (voice of Carlos Alazraqui), "I was in a terrible plane crash. My entire family was killed and I am a vegetable. See you tomorrow." Later, he runs into Mr. Weed at the ballpark, and expects to be fired, but the next day, the El Dorado Cigarette Company buys out the toy company, and Weed loses his job. The cigarette guys turn out to be poodle-shooting evil madmen who are using toys to get children addicted to their cigarettes. When Peter brings home a "Baby Smokes-A-Lot," Lois (voice of Alex Borstein) expresses her disapproval. When Peter confronts his new bosses, they make him president of the company to keep him quiet. Peter gets an executive parking space and his own personal yes man. The company hires an ugly girl to hang out with Meg (voice of Mila Kunis) at school, so she'll look prettier by comparison. They even hire Martha Stewart to help Lois out around the house. Lois is so enamored of all the perks that she forgets about her moral qualms. When an anti-smoking bill comes before Congress, a tobacco exec suggests, "They're all idiots in Washington. Instead of a smart guy, we should send a moron they can relate to." Thus, Peter becomes a tobacco industry lobbyist. Alyssa Milano makes an appearance in this episode, with the episode's writer, Ricky Blitt, playing her attorney. There's also a parody of the theme from That Girl, and Jack Sheldon, who worked on the original Schoolhouse Rock shorts, plays the bill. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

Chris (voice of Seth Green) wants out of the Scouts, and no wonder, with a Scout leader who always calls the troop "girls," and who shrieks at Chris for sitting outside the semicircle. Chris would rather devote his time to drawing, but he doesn't have the heart to tell Peter (voice of Seth MacFarlane). Peter is so psyched about Chris being a Scout that he even builds him a go-cart for the soap-box derby. Surprisingly, Speed Racer turns out to be one of Chris' opponents. The race ends (well, starts) disastrously, and Chris is kicked out of the troop. But Peter refuses to take it lying down, getting the family into the car for a drive to the Scouts' main office in New York. Brian (MacFarlane) stays behind, explaining that he's been to New York, and "it's like Prague, without the whimsy." Peter gets lost en route, and a bathroom emergency brings the family to Geronimo's Palace, a Native American casino. While Peter uses the bathroom, Lois (voice of Alex Borstein) wanders over to video poker, where a casino worker reassures her, "Technically, it's not really gambling; it's just us trying to rebuild our shattered culture after you raped our land and defiled our women." Lois gives it a try, and has soon gambled away the car (shades of Lost in America, which the creators acknowledge on the DVD commentary). Peter tries to get the family's money back by claiming to be part Native American. The council of elders decides that he must go on a "vision quest," a spiritual journey into the wilderness without food, water, or shoes, to prove his ancestry. Chris goes along, hoping for an opportunity to tell Peter that he doesn't want to be a Scout. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide