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Ping Pong

Play trailer Ping Pong 2002 1h 54m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Arrogant teen Peco (Yôsuke Kubozuka) and his best friend, the stone-faced and apathetic Smile (Arata), are Japanese schoolboys who excel at ping-pong. But they aren't the only table tennis experts around; an immigrant nicknamed China (Sam Lee), another rival called Demon (Koji Ookura) and the fearsome Dragon (Shido Nakamura) are all formidable nemeses who give the duo some high-flying competition. They also force the two boys to examine life outside the sport they love.

Critics Reviews

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Tom Keogh Seattle Times 05/25/2007
3/4
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. Go to Full Review
Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune 04/27/2007
3/4
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. Go to Full Review
Bill Stamets Chicago Sun-Times 04/27/2007
2/4
An overlong exercise in sport as character-builder. Go to Full Review
Grant Watson Fiction Machine 09/19/2023
7/10
I’m not sure how many table tennis movies are out there, but I’m reasonable comfortable in asserting Ping Pong is one the best that’s been made. Go to Full Review
Sean Axmaker Seattle Post-Intelligencer 05/24/2007
C+
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... Go to Full Review
Matt Pais Metromix.com 04/26/2007
2.5/4
Table tennis. That's pretty much it. For two hours. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Magnus M @MMRgd Sep 7 Clever, well acted “less is more” movie about the complex dynamic between life long friends. Which friend is more important to / cares most about the other, and how/when does that change? (Made me think a bit of Son of Rambow) Reviews here correctly point out there’s a lot of 🏓 action (and no little product placement). My take was the action sequences are essential , and help the story; they certainly dont take themselves too seriously, while conveying the skill and speed of the sport without making it the central focus of the film. …There are also a couple of pantomime villains but with the right amount of depth; the supporting characters in the film are really well acted and imagined. You can’t help rooting for the happiness of both contrasting lead characters Peco and Smile, with the tournament outcome unimportant for the story. Really like this 🎥. See more Anderson O @Platinum2027 05/08/2024 Well casted, and brilliant idea of an Manga/comicbook adaptation. Ping Pong is much more absorbing that I expect of the story of Peco and Smile. Childhood to competing for a highschool ping pong championship. Performances and tension increases in competition as the different schools make ping pong and sports culture and dreams of greatness. Thorough enjoyed ping pong even if your not a fan of the sport. See more 03/26/2018 Here's my review of pingpong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m6e4NjcBrY See more 01/29/2014 Everything a ping-pong pensioner doc should be! Fab. See more 09/06/2013 Would have preferred a different ending but I understand why it has to end that way. The friendship of Peco and Smile shows a glimpse if what is happening in Japanese educational institutions. The match between Peco and Dragon is a must see. An enjoyable sports film :) See more 09/02/2012 çªªå¡æ´<ä»<はだ1/4くだ(R)æ-°ã-ããã 1/4ã,¤ãã¬ã³ãでã 1/4ã(TM)ï 1/4 See more Read all reviews
Ping Pong

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Movie Info

Synopsis Arrogant teen Peco (Yôsuke Kubozuka) and his best friend, the stone-faced and apathetic Smile (Arata), are Japanese schoolboys who excel at ping-pong. But they aren't the only table tennis experts around; an immigrant nicknamed China (Sam Lee), another rival called Demon (Koji Ookura) and the fearsome Dragon (Shido Nakamura) are all formidable nemeses who give the duo some high-flying competition. They also force the two boys to examine life outside the sport they love.
Director
Fumihiko Sori
Producer
Shinji Ogawa, Sanae Suzuki, Fumihiko Inoue
Screenwriter
Kankurô Kudô
Production Co
Asmik Ace Entertainment
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (DVD)
Sep 4, 2007
Runtime
1h 54m