Ping Pong Playa (2007) User Reviews

I laughed quite a bit

[fabu84 · 7/10 · 29 December 2013]

I absolutely loved this movie. I loved it for two reasons: the plot line and the overwhelming sense of stupidity. This movie reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite. It was pretty funny even though the main character is a complete tool. The racial slurs in this movie just add to the stupidity of it. Ever race has stereotypes for each other and it's good to sometimes laugh at them instead of being offended. Overall, I think this movie is pretty great. I wouldn't say this movie is for families, just because of how one of the kids acts. I would say that it's a movie more appropriate for older high schoolers and young adults. Childish and juvenile as this movie may be, the younger generation finds that kind of thing hilarious(me included).

Are you game for this movie? No, because Ping Pong Playa is a mediocre comedy movie.

[ironhorse_iv · 5/10 · 18 October 2014]

Were they playing beer pong? -Cause this movie concept seem wasted. Directed & written by Jessica Yu. The story centers on a Chinese American family whom live revolves around the sport, of Ping Pong. Christopher C-Dub Wang (Jimmy Tsai) is the only family member whom wants no part in it. He opts to spend most of his free time playing video games and day dreaming about becoming a pro-basketball player. When his mom and brother are hurt in a car accident, it kickback C-Dub into reality, when C-dub must take over his mom's duties as ping pong teacher to a class of misfits at the local Chinese Community Center, while also defending his brother's title at an oncoming ping pong tournament. The jokes in the film are mostly misses than hits for me. Some of the jokes may be lost on those not familiar with Chinese culture. For the most part, nearly all of the jokes are just the same old tiresome gags, we always see in non-Asians formulaic sport comedy films. The whole premise could be describe as an Asian American's version of 1976's Bad News Bear or 1992's Mighty Duck, where a jerky adult come across teaching a bunch of kids how to win. The only different between this and them, is that Jimmy Tsai's racist poser character comes across as too annoying, immature and obnoxious. He's a guy that some audience can easily dislike to the point, that they are turn off from the rest of the film. None of his smack talk was that clever or demanding. Most of the time, it's really ineffective. He whines and bitch about being stuck in a stereotype that it's drown out most of the film. He comes across more like a caricature than a real person, much like a overhype rapper would do. The whole American immigrant self-imposed apartheid ghetto mentality is just bothersome. I do have a funny bone, but childish and juvenile actions here were sadly not that great of humor material. The racial slurs didn't help. It's nice to see a movie produced by Asian Americans expressing their anger and addressed such stereotypical things that the media uses to portray Asian Americans. Still, it's very hypocritical to say that, and then portray other races in a negative stereotype, movie. After all, you got the token black guy who always up to no good get rich schemes, the Indian-American would always cowardly out, and then you got the white guys over the top villainous. It's so double-standard. Still, it could had gone worst. It's just nice to see Asian-Americans in the lead role for once, then playing second fiddle to white movie stars. The movie feels more Asian-American than a foreign film. It's nice to see the movie into mixed the American cultural environment. The supporting cast is forgettable. I rarely remember anybody else in this film, even after watching it in an hour ago. The adults come easily be replace by other Asian actors and you wouldn't know the different. The kids in the film, are the same. They're just genetic as hell, and doesn't stand out in a humorous way. I can't even recall any of their names. You see their overused trope characters all the time. There is the fat kid who always shown eating food. The dorky kid with the brains, and the kid with a sister or mom that the protagonist wants to bang. The editing for the film is odd. It's weird that profanity is semi-muted by the sound of a bouncing ball or ping pong paddle hit. If the movie going to use profanity, at less, have the guts to use it, than hide under silly gimmicks like that. I guess, they wanted to keep their PG-13 rating. The rap music is alright for the whole hip hop gimmick that Jimmy Tsai is sporting around in the film. "I Like Cereal" song or the songs about "Rims" stood out the most from all of them. Overall: The movie is so predictable that it hurts to think about it. Really, if you really want to enjoy this film. Turn off your brain, because you need to. Certainly not a movie for stimulating ones brain cells, but it passes for entertainment. If you want to find a good Asian Ping Pong movie, check out 2002's Pingu Pongu. If you need a good Asian-American comedy, check out 2005's American Fusion. Those two are way better than this film.

One of the stranger sports films of all time.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 24 June 2012]

The title of this film was a bit confusing--as is the main character. "Ping Pong Playa" is hip-hop for "Ping Pong PLAYER". Chris is a very annoying young man. He has visions of becoming an NBA star--though he is in his 20s, never played a higher level of basketball than junior varsity and he's really not that good. In fact, he's a pathetic loser who plays pick-up games for cash....against children! He also talks like a hip-hop wannabe--something that is strange coming from a Chinese-American. And, to top it off, he's very annoying and a guy who's easy to dislike.

Chris goes through life losing jobs and amounting to nothing until one day there is an accident. His mother and brother have their wrists injured--and this is a problem as the family (aside from Chris) are ping pong wizards--owning their own ping pong store and being ping pong champs. So, it's up to Chris to take over the class--and he teaches the kids next to nothing. Yet, oddly, they idolize him. What's next? See this incredibly strange sports movie and find out for yourself. Will Chris rise to the occasion or will he continue to be an embarrassment to his hardworking family?

There were a few things I liked about the film--beginning with the words from the opening rap song. I also loved the little kids--they were cute and provided interesting 'friends' for Chris. And, I liked how ridiculous Chris looked driving a teeny, tiny motor scooter! My only reservations are that the film is formulaic (and aren't most sports films?) and Chris is a bit too annoying at times and he really is awfully easy to hate. Still, it's a cute little independent film and I'd like to see more from these folks. Worth seeing.

Not Deep but Fun

[ken_mayer · 7/10 · 5 December 2011]

I don't like sports movies, but this film was the compromise choice for our family, our 18-year-old son who doesn't want serious drama, my wife who doesn't want even a whiff of violence, and me who would normally watch Lars von Trier or a Russian documentary.

But the whole family found something to laugh out loud at. Parts followed the nauseatingly sweet pattern of a Disney sports movie, but other parts would NEVER have appeared in a Disney movie. Not that they were violent or inappropriate, but just off message. That made the film rewarding.

If you want to pass a few hours being mindlessly entertained, this movie is for you.

Hilarious and LINsane

[bg18947 · 7/10 · 22 October 2012]

I first saw this movie about 2 years ago and thought it was quite funny. After Linsanity earlier this year, I watched the movie again and there are some amazing parallels with Jeremy Lin's story, to the point that one would think this was written loosely about Jeremy Lin. What's more incredible is that Jeremy Lin ends up wearing a Rockets jersey, so C-Dub looks vaguely more like Jeremy Lin the second time around.

Anyone who wants to see some humor around stereotypes (both false and true) and loves Jeremy Lin's story should go see it. My family loved watching this movie the second time around and we recommend it.

Of course, Jimmy Tsai and Jessica Yu should be given a lot of credit for putting together a feel good movie that I can associate with. If anyone deserves to play Jeremy Lin in a future movie, it should be Jimmy Tsai. And, Jessica Yu, who is known for her documentaries should be able to tell the Jeremy Lin's story as good as any director.

Uneven comedy that illustrates immigrant attitudes

[lhhung_himself · 6/10 · 15 April 2012]

Ping-pong Playa is very funny at times and very uncomfortable at other times. The lead Chinese-American character Christopher Wang (pronounced Wong) or C-dub is hilarious when he does his gangsta routine. He is also very "Ghetto", quite racist and all too authentic.

The plot itself is very Karate kid lite, done on a low after-school movie budget but is pleasant enough.

But most Asian, or other minorities for that matter can relate to C-dub and both laugh and cringe. The way Caucasians are depicted is over the top but does reflect some of the frustration at the old-school-tie attitudes that are still running things - even when they are trying to be benevolent. Sadly, we have all experienced those unintentional incredibly ignorant remarks from people like the tournament director. If you are from Hong Kong or one of the former British colonies then you'd know what C-dub was sayin'...

This might have been less cringe-worthy if it had gotten out of the American immigrant self-imposed apartheid ghetto mentality. But then again maybe that works better as (un)intentional irony.

Overall, not great but it did precede things like Outsourced which deal with similar themes. C-dub's rapping is very funny (as is the Cantonese hip-hop - so bad that I'm glad they didn't translate it...) and it does give insight into Asian-American attitudes and prejudices.

Promising First Half Gives Way To Dumbed-Down Racist Rubbish

[ccthemovieman-1 · 2/10 · 20 April 2009]

Boy, I was really enjoying this film by the halfway mark (about 50 minutes). It was funny, and the lead character was especially humorous. That was "C-Dub," played by Jimmy Tsai. It was a shock seeing an Asian-American talk like a black man with all the slang of the day, and I'm sure that was there to make us laugh.

What wasn't funny was the outright racism in the second half of the film. When are these politically-correct double-standards in the film industry going to cease? In this film, the three white people - two ping-pong players and the judge of a tournament - are all made to be villains and totally ignorant. Nobody else in the movie is portrayed like this. Imagine the outcry if this was the case and only the black people or Asians were shown to be stupid and obnoxious? Well, the film wouldn't have even made it to your theater.

Overall, this film is just embarrassingly bad. No intelligent Asian would accept this movie as anything but garbage and an insult to them, either. Too bad, because it was so promising and had some charm in the first half. Then, the ugliness of racism and the very predictable ending all dumbed this story down to a pathetic low. It explains why there are less than 10 reviews of his movie.

Ingenious

[kingofmath · 10/10 · 21 October 2010]

I loved and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this movie.

Though it's not made for everyone. I'm not sure how much one would appreciate this film without a first-person experience of the Asian-American lifestyle. For those plot-bashing reviewers, the focus of this movie really isn't on the story itself. Through a "loser kid" who struggles with Chinese/American identifies, this film pokes at the stereotypes that Asian Americans live through and impose on ourselves.

Think it's boring to watch the moms gossip about their children's achievements? Think the kids exaggerate when they mention being sent to a billion after-school classes? They are fundamental characteristics of Asian American communities that we hate, joke about, and somehow can't get out of. Those scenes are a much more realistic portrayal of us yellow-skinned people, than the Hollywood movies and TV series that depict Asians as all short, small-eyed kung-fu fighters.

The movie also, through the rebellious "C-Dub", voices out against stereotypes. The Asian culture is not into the idea of protesting and you'd rarely see us in a public forum. That's why this unconventional film is so refreshing. A reviewer complained about the movie depicting Caucasians as villains with the ATTF judge making racist remarks. But the matter of fact is that similar subtle, indirect racism exists in our everyday life. Ever said "ni hao" to an Asian person without getting a very warm response? Go figure.

Ping Pong Playa portrays the modern Asian American lifestyle that's rarely known or correctly understood outside our community, and amplifies our unique cultural dilemmas into a hilarious comedy. Highly recommended.

An enjoyable light comedy with a light dose of Asian American awareness

[qwicksilver · 7/10 · 27 February 2009]

I came into the movie not expecting a whole lot from it as a comedy, and to be honest it didn't wow me, but I wasn't as disappointed as I thought I would be.

Is this film funny? Yes it can be at times. Does it have observational humor about Asian Americans? Yes it definitely does. However, it rarely goes beyond that, and where the film certainly had the chance to paint a more striking image of the realities of being Asian American, it chooses to stay unapologetically light. That isn't to say that it's off the mark with its observations: the film just chooses to paint a more lighthearted and less realistic picture. Think of Happy Gilmore but with ping pong, and a modern Asian American perspective.

The film follows the life of a 20 something Chinese-American basketball player, or "playa", or "balla" if you prefer, named Christopher "C-Dub" Wang. The character is one of a growing number of Asians who talk in a slur of Ebonics and hip-hop. Call them AZNs if you want, but they've grown significantly in some parts of the country as Asians seem to look to the Hip-Hop culture to give definition to their "AZN pride" and stand as a contrast from the passive stereotypes that are held about traditional Asian/Chinese culture. The film opens in a typical fashion as we meet Chris on a basketball court... playing 8-10 year olds. It becomes rapidly obvious that he is one of so many washouts who always dream of hitting it big, going pro, or starting some hot business scheme. He's silly, oblivious, and so vitriolic about others keeping the "Chinese man" down that I initially thought that he was meant to be portrayed as "uppity". His character is somewhat relatable, but at times he just seems too much in his own world and too much a caricature for his own good.

The plot moves itself pretty swiftly along as you learn that his entire family is supremely dedicated to playing ping pong. His father was a ping pong champ, his mother teaches ping pong at the local Chinese culture center, and his brother is a reigning champion who fits clearly into the role of the "good son". Eventually, a fateful car accident puts Chris' mother and brother out of commission as Chris then is assigned to be the resident ping pong teacher at the culture center. As you can probably guess, if you've ever seen The Mighty Ducks, Cool Runnings, Dodgeball or any other comedy sport movie worth its salt, Chris will eventually get sucked into playing by his lovable loser students, by his affections for the resident love interest, and by the arrogant/racist crooning of the big shot white-guy player in town. We all know what happens from here: cut to the big tournament where Chris has everyone rooting for him, his self respect, success, and the honor of his family resting on the paddle that is tightly clenched in his hand. He has to beat the arrogant big shot, win the tournament, gain the affection of his love interest, and find his true path in life as the new bad-boy of Ping Pong.

As you can tell, the film is basically a paint by numbers affair, but it's made with its own style and outlook that twists things just right enough to remain entertaining. Chris is such a caricature of that lost generation who was told they could do anything, but never found out they couldn't. He blames his "genetic deficiency" of being a shorter Asian guy for being bad at basketball, and yet his nostrils flare at the mere presumption that some white dude wants to put his people down. This kind of gets resolved, but for me it made the first half of the film embarrassing to watch. However, I suppose that's the point. We're supposed to feel bad for Chris, and recognize that he is a loser. In the end, it's not a triumph, but a relief that he decides to go forward in life and succeed at what he's truly good at.

The film is competently told and decently shot, and as for the Asian American nature of the film, it's played more for laughs than seriousness. It disappoints me that the director, Jessica Yu, didn't decide to really go more in depth into the current affairs of Asian American culture. The most astute thing that was said in this film was by resident love interest as she confesses that she hates being stereotyped as a sexually alluring exotic feminine object by westerners, and that's basically all the hard hitting insight you get. But really, the film decides to use the Asian American theme as more of a backdrop, and a setup for silly caricatures and funny laughs. It's all done in a lighthearted manner, and clearly by someone who's tuned in enough to know how to poke fun without being degrading.

All in all, I think it was enjoyable enough, but if you're looking for a tense drama about the nature of the Asian American Diaspora, maybe you'd better look elsewhere.

One last thing I wanted to note. About Chris' "Ebonics" speech: it was way too over the top for my tastes. The guy uses so much outdated slang, words like "sheezy", or "mammy jammy" (seriously "mammy jammy"? who says that past 1994?). The whole thing makes Chris aka. C-dubb look like he's some kind of pathetic black guy wannabe who got his accent and lingo from repeatedly watching fresh prince of Bela air. In the end, I think it's more just that the writers probably didn't do enough research because as much as I'm not into the AZN thing, I give them a bit more credit in terms of their awareness of hip-hop than "mammy jammy".

For ages 11-15

[curtlow · 3/10 · 17 December 2008]

This movie was not funny at all. You will not find this movie enjoyable unless you are 11 to 15 years old. Also, swearing is censored with sounds of a basketball bouncing and ping pong balls being hit. It was very awkward (In the version I saw anyway).

The story is also very unoriginal and can be used with multiple scenarios. A lot of the dialog is in Chinese with English subtitles.

I don't understand why IMDb gave it 6.6 stars. I'm glad I didn't see this movie in a theater. I would have asked for my money back.

If you have preteen kids, this might be okay to rent but I don't see how they would enjoy it either. On a side note, the Chinese girl is rather cute.

I like it

[panda_plushie12 · 9/10 · 3 April 2014]

Personally, I really liked this movie! Such a change in stereotypical Hollywood depictions of Asian Americans. Also, I love these LEAD Asian actors/actresses. I'm so tired of seeing stories "about" Asian Americans, just to see them in the background or shadow of the White stars.

And I love how they expressed their anger and addressed such stereotypical things that the media uses to portray Asian Americans such as "exotifying" them or saying how "passive" they all are. Yes, it may seem a little extreme how blunt the "boss" of ping pong is or the other opposing white players are in their racist remarks... but in reality things like this happen all the time. These microagressions are always here.

Immature ping pong movie

[KineticSeoul · 4/10 · 3 May 2011]

Yeah this is a very immature comedy that revolves around ping pong, but I still found it somewhat funny. This is a very low budget comedy with a obnoxious, annoying and very immature protagonist, but it does have it's funny moments...Well sort of. And the protagonist is sort of likable in some aspects. The jokes get a bit too immature to the point it seems like it is meant for 10 yr olds. There is also a lot of jokes that has to do with stereotyping, especially Chinese people. The movie has a mediocre start but really gets tiresome after a while and sort of annoying as well. The ping pong tournament parts doesn't even grab the attention and boring to watch. I give some credit to this movie though, because despite it's low budget a lot of effort has been made to this movie even if it isn't all that effective. And some of the scenes were so true it was sort of intriguing.

4.2/10

My kid's loved this movie, as did I

[csphipps · 8/10 · 27 June 2011]

This is a "fun" and funny movie done in an original way - with moral lessons to boot. Best family suitable rental in a long while. This work in some ways is reminiscent of Tyler Perry - it doesn't play to the high brow audience, readily mixing the serious with the silly to good effect, and leveraging an American subculture as a backdrop to a story. It felt right how specific characters were constantly switching between Chinese and English to draw out the best phrasing and emphasize the bicultural significance of their lives and the challenge at hand. I'm going to check-out some of the other Jimmy Tsai projects. I was also impressed with the many supporting actors/characters. Another movie this reminded me of is Napoleon Dynamite - sound track and all, loved the "cereal" song. Best scene in the movie is when the main character's brother sets him straight - this and other scenes my kids insisted that I replay.

Real Chicken Soup for the Asian American Soul

[jesusnj · 9/10 · 8 January 2009]

As a Chinese male growing up North America, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. There are very few mainstream Asian American movies produced in the US, despite the large Asian community. Often, those that are made have a great deal of stereotypes and are made by non asians. The movie validated a lot of my feelings growing up in a traditional Chinese household, yet within an American cultural environment.

I liked this movie because it played against stereotype and made fun of the stereotypes. Real life can be really cheesy sometimes, and this movie had a lot of cheese.

From the beginning, I was startled to see a Chinese face on TV actually talking like a real person in real life, and not like a trained TV personality as a news anchor. And C-dub's character just grew on me. It was real and funny. The kids are cute. His parents were like real Chinese parents. The older smart medical brother is a stereotype but played for laughs. Even Ms Chinatown didn't look like she spoke Chinese. The Chinese would slip into the English/Chinese words in the same sentence. And thats how it really is in real life. It doesn't make sense, it lacks continuity, but its real.

Really Funny Movie

[DjohnsonC-3 · 9/10 · 25 December 2008]

I laughed all the way through this film. Even though some of the scenes ran on longer than needed, the story, acting and direction of this film is dead on. What is also very well done is the funny but revealing way in which race is brought into discussions in matter of fact ways. This is not a race bashing film but a film that is aware of the uniqueness that everyone processes and how all nationalities have the same inherent bias toward themselves and each other but must overcome it if any real change can come about. Saying that, the film is a riot. Funny throughout and a very good film for kids and adults.

The lead actor is beyond convincing as a wannabe black kid who has to come around to understanding what real responsibility means. He's hilarious!!

The guy needs his own television show! Now! But what is most revealing is the direction. Small but significant little gems of pure hilarity is in the direction of this film and I give it a clear 9/10. Great stuff.

At times I laughed out loud.

[soderberg_53 · 8/10 · 21 December 2008]

This funny movie plays on stereotypes... in a way that doesn't offend. The main character desperately wishes to be a basketball great, yet his hoop dreams are never fulfilled, due in part to his ineptitude and cultural background (lack of support culturally). When his mother is injured the protagonist is needed to teach ping-pong classes against his wishes, over time he slowly rises to the challenge, with some funny results. Thankfully it lacks the typical romantically driven plot associated with many comedies, thought a boy meets girl vibe does exist. In essence a "fish out of water" tale with surprising results. It is a comedy without rude and vulgar humor, yet still funnier than most that utilize such. Pleasantly surprising in almost every way.

(my first review. bare in mind that I judge movies by genre, i.e.: a "good" comedy may not be as "good" as an equally rated drama, or thriller, etc...).

An incredible film for a niche audience

[clarka-16496 · 10/10 · 15 February 2022]

Anyone can enjoy this movie. Diverse humor, friendships, and competition leave something for anyone to enjoy. However, Ping Pong Playa is so much more for the target audience. Those with intimate experience living out the cultural bridge Chinese Americans cross are sure to see the purest form of reality reflected back at them. Esoteric meta humor that will be glazed over by most is in truth what makes the movie shine. The characters are outlandishly real. The themes are intentionally ironic. The genius of the dialogue makes Ping Ping Playa a relaxing, referential comedy that can be rewatched countless times.

Great Movie if You're Asian-American

[efjier · 9/10 · 4 April 2012]

You really have to be Asian-American to get this movie. If you are, it's not offensive and hilariously true! It teaches AA kids not to be so lazy like many are yet teaches parents not to make their kids total nerds (like the business Indian scene at the bowling alley).

Being American or not Asian, you will not understand much of the humor and many parts will seem useless, like the talking scenes in Chinese. You may feel that Asians who watch this will hate British and white people, but really we won't. We deal with Americans all day. If you're

Asian: 9/10 or 10/10 ------ White: 3/10 or 4/10

The purpose of this movie is to really show American Asians their lifestyle from an outside view, to teach some morals to children and parents, all while having some funny moments.

Why is it so low

[HoHewChew · 9/10 · 23 March 2023]

This is a hilarious comedy that's also relatable as an Asian person who moves to America or been in America at one point. The feeling of being confined to options, or forced into stereotypes is something that a lot of Asians can relate to. It's much better than other Asian comedies like Crazy Rich Asians, and actually reflects some funny moments that remind me of movies like Friday with Ice Cube or Baby Boy directed by John singleton. Like there's some definite inspiration from those movies but done for Asians, and in a unique way that allows for a ping pong plotline. If you like comedies in general this is a good movie.l.