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Mongolian Ping Pong

2004 1h 42m Drama List
83% Tomatometer 24 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
An Asian boy (Hurzbileg) and his friends (Dawaa, Geliban) believe that a pingpong ball found floating in the river is a miraculous gift from heaven.
Mongolian Ping Pong

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Though the story is quite simple and the pace slow, the movie is a charming one, set against beautiful scenery.

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Critics Reviews

View All (24) Critics Reviews
Moira MacDonald Seattle Times A unique, charming coming-of-age film. Rated: 3/4 Jul 21, 2006 Full Review Stephen Hunter Washington Post Somehow, Hao never breaks the spell of enchantment over the proceedings. He doesn't find the characters quaint or amusing, he finds them real and human and confers the full dignity of existence upon them. Jul 20, 2006 Full Review Michael Wilmington Chicago Tribune Wistful, humorous and majestically pictorial, Mongolian Ping Pong is an off-trail film full of offtbeat delights. Rated: 3/4 Jun 29, 2006 Full Review Kam Williams Upstage Magazine A quarter century after the release of The Gods Must Be Crazy, this charming variation on the theme relies on a similar scenario to examine the lost innocence of another naive primitive. Rated: 4/4 Jan 19, 2007 Full Review Louis Proyect rec.arts.movies.reviews Gorgeous coming of age tale featuring nonprofessional cast of Mongolian nomads. Nov 11, 2006 Full Review David Cornelius DVDTalk.com Ping Pong intends to be a quiet meditation on the little things in life. It's also dreadfully dull. Rated: 2/5 Oct 19, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Was living in China when we saw this - it was mind blowing! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member The story of some Mongolian kids that finds a glowing pearl. Well, the pearl turns out to be a ping pong ball but a ping pong ball is just as common as glowing pearls in the massive grasslands of Mongolia. I can give out that the kids decide to return the ball to Beijing. This, of course, as a gesture to their (neighbour) country since it's the national ball. Sweet and a neat move, but much of the good stuff happens a bit late into it's playtime. It's a chariming film. Superb imagery and great shots. The acting is done by Mongolian people that probably know very little about the outside world. This gives the film a documentary feel. It's rather boring. It got milder funny moments as the kids does some mischief and their unknowingness is also a factor here. There is no thrills or hights of tensity here. The realness is there - just as i expect slow, artsy films to be. It's a bit too long so the beautiful and elegant plot looses is strenght for me. 5.5 out of 10 mooncakes. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member I found the opening and ending were genius, made me giggle! The film itself is not only funny and visually breathtaking, but to choose children's point of view is another win . Those children don't have siri or google to find out what is a ping pong ball. So, for me, their mission to find out what it is and to return it to Beijing is entertaining, despite how simple it is. I also enjoy other characters especially the adorable lamb as a cameo :D Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Another slow paced, delightful Mongolian movie. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Delicate fable directed with softness and flooded with magical realism, really different from everything else I'v seen from dynamic Hao Ning. An almost mockumentary style at the service of a coming of age story, cultural clash without primitivism (mongolian are "far from", not "excluded by", civilization) with a touch of (ok, that's really Hao Ning) biter criticism against imperialism and mainland China conformism. A beautiful sea of green grass. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member One of the most charming foreign films I have ever seen. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Mongolian Ping Pong

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Movie Info

Synopsis An Asian boy (Hurzbileg) and his friends (Dawaa, Geliban) believe that a pingpong ball found floating in the river is a miraculous gift from heaven.
Director
Hao Ning
Producer
Lu Bin, He Bu
Screenwriter
Hao Ning, Gao Jianguo, Xing Aina
Production Co
Kunlun Film Co.
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Mongolian
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Apr 21, 2006
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 17, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA)
$71.2K
Runtime
1h 42m