 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ PICTURES | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | JAPANESE DD 2.0 W/ ENGLISH SUBTITLES | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 114 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | PG | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 09/04/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 05/09/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
If Shoalin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle, and Balls of Fury gave you a taste for just how extreme even the most unlikely sport and action can get, you have to witness the off the wall dramedy of Ping Pong. Based on the manga by renowned mangaka Taiyo Matsumoto (Tekkonkinkreet), viewers are introduced to two young boys who, after a pivotal event in their youth, remain fast friends and play ping pong. As adults, Peco (played brilliantly by Yosuke Kubozuka of such works as Ikebukuro West Gate Park the TV series and the award winning film Go), has grown up to be weird and definitely out there with his outrageous behavior on and off the ping pong courts. The boy nicknamed Smile (played beautifully by Arata, famous for rock band Revolver), because Smile never does crack a grin, somberly follows his protector from childhood. Things come to a surprising twist however when Smile may just be better than ping pong’s hero. In fact, the immature Peco swears off the game he loves after his defeat, while Smile continues climbing the ladder to the championships, all in the hopes of meeting a hero stronger than himself. This movie touches on key aspects of the human dilemma (need for accomplishment, competence, belonging, approval, purpose) as well as each facet of movie genres (action, comedy, drama). Ping Pong is a sports/action film; after all it is about competition. And the way that the special effects are shot create a riveting style that makes every game of the sport absolutely mesmerizing and even dumbfounding at times. This is in large part due to the vision of the director Sori (Ikebukuro West Gate Park), a VFX specialist who produced the animated 2004 Applessed film. Each game is a revelation of cinematography and of the characters playing. There are many outrageous moments to the film, allowing for numerous comedic scenes. But at heart, the story is about the need for belief, in oneself, but most importantly, the yearning for a hero, the need to believe in someone better, stronger than ourselves. This is Smile’s dilemma. It covers some surprisingly dramatic territory during Peco’s fall from grace, and then hits comedy again when his wily grandmother starts to retrain him. The final match naturally leads to a game between Peco and Smile and is wonderfully filmed and emotionally inspiring, providing subtle and unexpected emotional depth to a film that on the surface might seem merely lighthearted. This is a great movie escape and one with many surprises and a cast of unforgettable eccentric characters. In fact, the film won best supporting actress in the Japanese Academy Awards for Mari Natsuke’s role as the sarcastic yet perceptive grandmother to Peco’s brash exterior. Many anime fans may recognize her as the voice of the witch in Miyazaki’s internationally award winning animated film Spirited Away. In Ping Pong she is amazing as the game’s ‘yoda’ that has the keen insights to shape Peco up before his match and to help him find himself again.
EXTRAS:
Disc 1 bonus features include director and cast profiles and trailers of other Viz Pictures live action films. Disc 2 bonus features include an exceptional in-depth making of the movie featurette that runs just shy of an hour. It goes into the process of taking the manga and translating it for film, the casting process, special effects, and discussions about ping pong. It features most of the main cast and crew. Next is “Ting Pong” which is a short parody that works as a bonus side story about Ota, a secondary character in the film and his unrequited love for one of Tsukimoto’s (Smile) admirers. There’s a short film “How to Play Ping Pong” which is informative for a feature that only runs sixteen minutes. Other extras include original Japanese trailers and TV spots.
IN SUMMARY:
Ping Pong is a movie that is paddles above the rest. Fans of Shoalin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle, and Balls of Fury will enjoy this film immensely.
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