Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

ThiefHott Too much of everything

Steineded How sad is this?

Micransix Crappy film

TheBlueHairedLawyer Ping Pong Summer, at the time I'm writing this, has only a 5.3/10 rating. Apparently it's not too popular with viewers, but I loved it. Why? Hmm, maybe it's because I hate the 21st century, I hate the digital age and it's nice to see a movie where there's not a single damned cellular phone in sight. Maybe I'm happy to find a movie made in 2014 that doesn't have any crude humor in it. Maybe it's all the Eighties nostalgia, how the fashion, makeup, cars, music and script all matches up to the era, or maybe it's the far out animation featured in the title credits? If you're looking for a funny, old school-style movie with decent acting and a good plot, this is definitely one you'll want to see! The plot follows a very eventful summer in the life of Rad (Radical, poor kid) Miracle, a teenage boy growing up in 1985 who gets dragged along with his mom, dad and slightly gothy-looking sister to a summer house in Maryland. It's right up there with movies like The Ice Storm (1997), Harold and Maude (1972), Super 8 (2011), National Lampoon Vacation (1983), Sleepaway Camp (1983) and My Girl (1991) for memorable coming-of-age movies. I was sorta dreading Ping Pong Summer at first but I'm glad I watched it; it was hilarious without being rude, and the characters were all really original, odd in a good way, and it honestly deserves a better rep.

gregking4 An entertaining coming of age tale and underdog story that combines elements of last year's superb The Way Way Back with elements of the 80's classic The Karate Kid. Ping Pong Summer deals with some universal themes of alienation, loneliness, friendship, embarrassing families, bullies, first crushes and first kisses, and standing up for yourself, that will resonate strongly with audiences. Rad Miracle (newcomer Marcello Conte) is obsessed with ping pong and hip hop dancing. He is a little surly when the family heads off for its annual summer holiday at the beach side town of Ocean City. Lonely, Rad wanders the streets of the seaside town, until he meets Teddy (another newcomer in Myles Massey), another lonely teen on holidays. Together they discover the joys of the Fun Hub, a boardwalk arcade full of video games and activities. But it is there that he is also humiliated by the town bully, the snotty rich kid Lyle (Joseph McCaughtry), on the ping pong table. Rad challenges Lyle to a rematch, but has no idea how to beat him until he gets some unexpected help from his eccentric next door neighbour, who is dubbed the local weirdo by the neighbourhood kids. There is a semi-autobiographical element to Ping Pong Summer, and writer/director Michael Tully captures the 80s vibe strongly through the use of costumes, music and even the archaic arcade video games. The script is full of homages to the 80s and almost overdoses on nostalgia. Also casting Lea Thompson (from the classic Back To The Future trilogy) as Rad's mother evokes the mid-80s period. Newcomer Conte delivers a nice performance as the awkward, virginal but immensely likable Rad, and Massey is engaging as the extroverted Teddy. Oscar winner Susan Sarandon has little to do in a stereotyped role as the wonderfully named Randi Jammer, but she is superb and brings a touch of authority to the material.

rcantabile Let's be honest, this is a terrible movie. What an odd mix of veteran actors (Susan Sarandon, Leah Thompson etc.) quite literally smashing up against terrible novices like the lead character's sidekick, Myles Massey. I continue to be amazed that people are actually paid to cast movies and they come up with bad actors all the time. The sidekick role is crucial here, yet they choose a kid who can't act. Go figure. Watching Sarandon, John Hannah and Leah Thompson attempt to add some flow to the movie while working with terrible actors reminds me of Natalie Portman struggling with Robot Hayden Christensen in the Star Wars prequels. I guess it has something to do with movie budget; perhaps they ran out of money after paying Sarandon, Hannah and Thompson.Every once it awhile we see some promise, as when Rad and his family visit his Aunt and her husband. Amy Sedaris and Robert Longstreet show how it's done and provide a hint of what the movie might have been. Also Rad's sister was more than adequate in her role.All this aside, the movie does well with costumes and general 1980s era eastern shore vibe, that's about it. The pacing is excruciating as we wait for lead character Rad to meet up with Susan Sarandon and when he finally does, it's almost a throwaway scene and before you know it we're (mercifully) at the finish line.If the director was attempting some sort of filmmaking homage, I missed it completely. So much more could have been done for the eastern shore/Ocean City in a movie like this. I'm being brutally honest when I say that all during the movie I kept thinking how I could have rounded up some buddies and a mini HD camera and done a much better job. I kid you not. It's that bad.

Marten Lundin I liked the looks of this one already in the trailer, deliciously quirky. I was pleasantly surprised when the movie itself turned out to be even better than I had imagined. This movie is a low-key, comical comment on the innocence of the 80s and the classic 80s movies. Everything is so beautifully dorky its insane. They pretty much got it all in there - the music, the clothes, the family summer vacation experience, finding new friends, finding first love and standing up to the bully (in this case with a ping pong competition). I guess its hard to appreciate all the effort if you never experienced the real deal. This probably works best as a charmingly silly nostalgia trip for us old-timers.