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Ping Pong Playa

Mixed or average reviews
Based on 13 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 7 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Comedy
Written by:
Jimmy Tsai
Jessica Yu
Directed by: Jessica Yu
Release Date:
Theatrical: September 5, 2008
DVD: January 6, 2009
Running Time: 96 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG-13 for language, including some sexual remarks and drug references
Starring Jimmy Tsai, Roger Fan, Shelley Malil, and Smith Cho
Christopher "C-dub" Wang is a suburban guy who sports an urban swagger, waxes political on all things Asian American, and clings to pipe dreams of a career as a pro basketball player. C-dub lives at home, works a dead-end job, and squirms in the shadow of his older brother, Michael, a doctor and ping pong champion. With a family-run store devoted to all things ping pong, the Wangs' entire world revolves around the sport. But when the Wang family livelihood is threatened by a rival ping pong player's attempts to lure the kids away, C-dub begins to take things more seriously. With the National Golden Cock Tournament coming up and an injured Michael unable to defend his title, C-dub must become the player he pretends to be and defend his family's ping pong dynasty. (IFC Films)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
San Francisco Chronicle G. Allen Johnson
A mostly amusing, appealing family comedy about going from pretender to contender, in life as well as pingpong.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer Bill White
Yu has a good time making fun of white people, in particular a pair of rival ping-pong teachers who seem inspired by the gay villains in the Bond film "Diamonds Are Forever."
Read Full Review >The New York Times Nathan Lee
A bright, nimble diversion, a quick-witted picture that's fast on its feet.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Justin Lowe
Tsai, who co-wrote the script with Yu, pulls out all the stops with his C-dub role, brimming with witty send-ups of Chinese-American cultural values and Asian stereotypes.
Read Full Review >Variety Peter Debruge
A good, clean, fun comedy that uses a table tennis championship to crack inside jokes about Los Angeles' Chinese-American community.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Even the championship showdown feels polite.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
He's a mishmash of cultural opposites, and his motormouth swagger is fitfully amusing. So is his backhand.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Ella Taylor
Frantically paced, littered with cute kids, and overstuffed with split screens and a rap score, Ping Pong Playa angles a little too hard for tween attention, but there's no resisting the movie's antic affability or its irreverence.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Sheri Linden
Breathes fresh life into the tired, bloated sports-comedy formula -- while remaining utterly formulaic.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
This thin premise can't sustain a feature, and the racial and gay jokes are jarring, but the child actors are cute, especially Andrew.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
ed h gave it a10:
A funny and entertaining film. Jimmy Tsai is a talented writer and actor, but his portrayal of Christopher Wang suffers from his "I think I'm black" mentality. That said Wang has some pretty hilarious riffs on whiteboys. Definitely worth the time to watch.
Bill B gave it a3:
I really, really wanted to like this movie but it just became an Asian sports movie. I felt like it should have ended every 30 seconds and been a commercial.
luzid p gave it an8:
I saw this at a film fest many months ago and really enjoyed it. It parodies the sport genre movies, doesn't take itself too seriously. Usually movies featuring men who act like over grown ten-year-olds really annoy me, but the Christopher Wang character made me laugh.
Dan H. gave it a10:
Absolutely hilarious! Jimmy Tsai plays his role as Christopher Wang (aka C-Dub) perfectly.
