Bumblebee
Mary Poppins Returns
Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Outlander
Log in with Facebook
OR
By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango.
Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password.
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.
All Critics (33) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (19) | Rotten (14)
The stakes are low throughout the film - even the bullies are mostly bluster - making the big finish an anticlimax.
[Tully achieves] a winning innocence of spirit in which performances and production design are all perfectly synched to his low-key comic vision.
It's so dedicated to the odd textures of its world that it becomes something else - personal, abstract, and strangely honest.
While "Ping Pong Summer" does aggressively pander to viewers' nostalgia (dig that Nike track suit, and Run-D.M.C. cassette tape!), it's also warmer and funnier than its worst jokes.
A ho-hum memory piece that could have used a bit more objectivity, not to mention depth and energy.
This gentle comedy, while entirely unmemorable, releases a genuine warmth that deflects harsh judgment.
In "Ping Pong Summer", director Michael Tully has managed to distill everything awful about eighties movies - the fashion, cheesy dialogue, political incorrectness and afternoon-special endings - minus the heart.
t all sounds like pretty familiar coming-of-age film fodder, but Ping Pong Summer reinvigorates the genre.
While the film feels overly familiar in plot, it's lightweight, pleasurable tone causes it to glide by.
Downright absurd, but ineffably entertaining, and you simply have to take this for what it is, and get on board.
Without a heavy emphasis on heart-shaped nostalgia, "Ping Pong Summer" would be nothing.
While there are substantial shortcomings to the picture, it knows how to have a good time, playing with teen cinema conventions as it checks off its laundry list of references and sense memories.
I liked some things about this movie and others not so much. First the pluses - I loved the 80's setting and the quaint little town it is set in. It bought back a lot of 80's memories and familiar sights (and fashions). Just based on this alone, I liked it. Now the not so good - the ping pong. I mean, okay, it's in the title. I can't claim to be shocked that this movie is a lot about ping pong. But wow. Boring. The young cast are unknowns. I guess I can understand why they went that way as it does help the feel of the movie to not be distracted by famous faces. Though not all of them are great. It kind of has the feel of an 80's movie you could rent for $2 on video and never have heard of. Probably exactly what they were going for. The older cast include Amy Sedaris, Lea Thompson and Susan Sarandon. Overall a movie I liked but didn't love.
Super Reviewer
Tonally perfect and musically intriguing, "Ping Pong Summer" is a very retro-eqsue film with very little originality, but a very amusing plot that overshadows it's cliches. It may not be the best film out there, but the dumb humour and over-the-top tribute to the 80's is so good that it begins working against it. Don't get me wrong, this is a very fun indie flick that you can easily have fun with, but it's written as a very run-of-the-mill screenplay and therefore there is not much to get attached to. Even though the film has life lessons sprinkled throughout, they are done so dramatically and epically that is feels intentional, and I am still not sure if that is what they had in mind. The cast is good enough for what the story is and they portray their characters well enough to pass by the picture. By the end of this film, the cliches became predictable and you will see the ending coming from a mile away, but I will give credit to where credit is due. "Ping Pong Summer" has an awesome soundtrack and the story is so cliched that it makes it that much more fun. I'll admit, I had quite a bit of fun watching it, so I'll warrant it a mild recommendation.
View All Quotes
View All