Ping Pong

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Ping Pong

2002

1h 54m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

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.

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.

Rated: 3/4

May 25, 2007

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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.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 27, 2007

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Bill Stamets

Chicago Sun-Times

An overlong exercise in sport as character-builder.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 27, 2007

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

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.

Rated: 7/10

Sep 19, 2023

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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...

Rated: C+

May 24, 2007

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Matt Pais

Metromix.com

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

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 26, 2007

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Magnus M

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 🎥.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/07/25

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Anderson O

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/08/24

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Audience Member

Here's my review of pingpong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m6e4NjcBrY

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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Audience Member

Everything a ping-pong pensioner doc should be! Fab.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Audience Member

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 :)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

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Audience Member

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Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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Fumihiko Sori

Director

Yôsuke Kubozuka

Yutaka Hoshino

Arata Iura

Makoto Tsukimoto

Sam Lee

Kong Wenge

Shido Nakamura

Ryûichi Kazama

Koji Ookura

Manabu Sakuma

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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