Ping Pong Playa (2007)
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66% of critics liked it
(32 reviews) -
48% of users liked it
(7,081 ratings)
An aimless young Chinese-American finds his hoop dreams unexpectedly sidelined when his parents are injured in an accident and he is forced to give ping-pong lessons in the fiction feature debut of acclaimed documentary filmmaker Jessica Yu (In the Realms of the Unreal). Christopher… More An aimless young Chinese-American finds his hoop dreams unexpectedly sidelined when his parents are injured in an accident and he is forced to give ping-pong lessons in the fiction feature debut of acclaimed documentary filmmaker Jessica Yu (In the Realms of the Unreal). Christopher "C-dub" Wang (Jimmy Tsai) may not be able to sink a lay-up to save his life, yet he longs to realize his lifelong goal of playing in the NBA. Add to this the fact that C-dub still lives at home and will likely never emerge from under the shadow of his successful older brother, Michael (Roger Fan), and it's beginning to look like this wannabe pro-athlete is going nowhere fast. C-dub's parents (Jim Lau and Elizabeth Sung) are a pair of former table tennis champs who now own a successful ping-pong supply shop and teach lessons on the side. Much like his parents were back in the day, C-dub's brother Michael (Roger Fan) is a ping-pong wizard who is championed by the Chinese community for taking top rank in the tournaments year after year. But now, Michael and C-dub's parents have both been injured in a car accident, forcing the ill-equipped -- and extremely reluctant -- family slacker to take over the ping-pong teaching duties. While at first C-dub doesn't take his new responsibility all too seriously, he quickly discovers that the future of his family rests in his hands after Michael is injured and rendered unable to compete in this year's championships. Soon, C-dub realizes that by stepping in for Michael and winning the championships, he may also be able to win the heart of the girl he has fallen head over heels in love with. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Jessica Yu
- Written By
- Jessica Yu, Jimmy Tsai
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Comedy
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Sep 9, 2007 Wide
- Studio
- IFC Films
Critic Reviews
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Michael Esposito, Chicago Tribune
Charming despite requisite training sequences and a cartoonishly evil opponent.
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Ted Fry, Seattle Times
Ping Pong Playa falters on formula only occasionally, but otherwise remains a consistently agreeable romp that strikes just the right chord of ironic sentimentally.
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Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times
The movie doesn't take its broad, jokey premise terribly far, but it manages to sustain a goofy-sweet comic energy and offers sly observations about assimilation, sibling rivalry and the art of competitive maternal bragging.
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Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
A decidedly lightweight amusement, the first comedy from documentary filmmaker Jessica Yu is the sort of movie that works best if you keep your expectations low.
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G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
A mostly amusing, appealing family comedy about going from pretender to contender, in life as well as pingpong.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Jimmy Tsai
as Christopher "C-dub" Wang
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Smith Cho
as Jennifer
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Khary Payton
as JP Money
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Roger Fan
as Michael Wang
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Peter Paige
as Gerald
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Jim Lau
as Mr. Wang
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Elizabeth Sung
as Mrs. Wang
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Scott Lowell
as Tom
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Stephnie Weir
as Cheryl
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Javin Reid
as Prabakar
