Ping Pong (2002)

Critic Reviews

• Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

  The movie has some of the feel of a good graphic novel and offers a lot of Japanese pop pleasures as well. The images are eye-catching and highly colorful, the pacing is fast, and the story and the characters are simple, grabby and archetypal.

• Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times

  An overlong exercise in sport as character-builder.

• Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

  Overlong and overstuffed with characters and situations, Ping Pong doesn't really succeed on a dramatic level.

• Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times

  Ping Pong is probably the most extravagant celebration of a childhood game ever committed to film.

• Julia Wallace, Village Voice

  The film projects a sense of loopy joy that comes from being young and playing the only game that matters.

• Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

  A deft, delightful mix of sulky teen drama and overcoming-obstacles sports-movie triumph.

• Tom Keogh, Seattle Times

  Braced by spiky humor but tempered by sentimentality, Ping Pong might have been a disposable teen comedy if not for the Japanese film's unexpectedly thrilling action sequences and subtly profound observations about competition and the human spirit.

• Sean Axmaker, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

  There are no surprises in this match, but director Fumihiko Sori makes the games visually thrilling and communicates the athletic nirvana of high-level competition...

• Matt Pais, Metromix.com

  Table tennis. That's pretty much it. For two hours.

• Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve

  Seems more suited to video than the big screen--a study in teen angst with some digitally enhanced shots of table tennis.

• Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine

  Kudo neatly codes allusions to yin-yangs into his frames, stressing time and again that the game of ping pong is not about winning so much as it is a matter of social. camaraderie and blissful self-reflection.

• Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

  Previsível como a maior parte dos filmes de esporte, mas acaba conquistando por desenvolver muito bem seus personagens, levando o espectador a se importar com todos eles.

• , Time Out

  Behind all the awkwardness, the film does set out a heartfelt view of friendship, character and destiny.

• David Hughes, Empire Magazine

  A quirky drama with finely drawn characters and some kinetic ping-pong action.d

• Jamie Russell, BBC

  For what it's worth, it's undoubtedly the best ping pong movie ever made!

• David Hughes, Empire Magazine

  A quirky drama with finely drawn characters and some kinetic ping-pong action.

• Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall

  This film is so endearing and entertaining that it's hard to understand why it hasn't gone on to take the world by storm ... igniting a ping pong craze in the process!

• Ross Williams, Film Threat

  Despite being a little cliché, Ping Pong is a hell of a lot of fun.

• Joshua Tanzer, Offoffoff

  Surprisingly wonderful. Ultimately transcends the ka-plink ka-plink ka-plink of little plastic balls on wooden tables - it becomes an elegant tango of the mind and soul.

Read all 19 critic reviews