Watch Ping Pong Summer For Free

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Fantastic!

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Ping Pong summer is a bit of an uneven movie yet there is a certain charm to it. The overall story arch is one that permeated most 80s movies and in this case seems to be a direct homage to The Karate Kid (1984). Essentially it's about an awkward teenager Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte) who's obsessed with ping-pong and the at-the-time hip-hop craze that doesn't fit in and hasn't really ever pushed himself to accomplish anything. With the help of former ping-pong champion mentor Randi Jammer (Susan Sarandon) he's able to beat the town bully in a ping-pong match.Speaking of underdog stories and movies in the vein of Karate Kid, this movie bares a strong resemblance to the cult film, No Retreat, No Surrender (1987 - Jean Claude Van-Damme's first movie), a movie about a teenager who stands up to bullies except replacing ping-pong with martial arts. Is it no coincidence that the protagonist's sidekick is an african-american teen obsessed with hip-hop just like in Ping-Pong Summer? Another bizarre connection this movie has to martial arts movies is that it utilizes a song called "Friends" from a super obscure martial arts movie, Miami Connection (1987). The version heard in Ping-Pong Summer however isn't the one heard in MC but a very identical one that was recorded in the 2010s for the video game Far Cry 3. By the mid 80s hip-hop was in the public eye and this movie is really reaching for that "electric boogaloo" feel. Something that further helps accomplish this 1985 feel is that it takes place in Ocean City, Maryland. OC is a place, though well maintained and nice, hasn't really changed its look and even businesses for the past 30 years especially when looking at the skyline of condominiums and hotels. So if you're a regular vacationer to the resort town you'll have a fun time seeing all of the familiar locations and landmarks utilized throughout including a bizarre shot of the boardwalk where you accidentally see the massive 9/11 firefighter memorial. A cheesy nod to nostalgia goes to Lea Thompson, who plays Rad's mom, when Rad and friend Teddy (Myles Massey) walk pass a parked DeLorean. I don't think I have to explain that reference. One big problem I feel that the director and screenplay came in short on is that this movie is almost too dark and depressing to be an 80s movie. Rad doesn't have that likable or vibrant archetype that Daniel (Ralph Macchio) has in Karate Kid or Marty (Michael J. Fox) has in Back to The Future as well as the cast of The Goonies have. He's rendered in a way that's way too depressing and even pathetic. In some cases you almost sympathize with the bullies as to why they pick on him. A key part of 80s cinema is for it to be upbeat even if the main character is troubled. It also doesn't help that his sister, Michelle (Helena Seabrook) is a full blown goth chick. I had no idea goth was even a thing in the 80s. I have to admit that I cannot think of one likable character throughout the entire movie. The movie also tried its best to capture an 80s movie look with the at-the-time usual refined grain look photography. They even shot on original vintage equipment to give it this look but since the movie is lit so dark it looks like some odd grain effect was pasted over it. That's another problem I have with it. It's lit and photographed too dark and dull. It should've had more of a bright and punchy look to it especially since it takes place at a beach. All in all I'm not really sure if it's worth checking out. It seems like a lot of people only did because Susan Sarandon is in it. Get ready to sit through pretty much the entire movie before you just even see her let alone act. I think it would actually be more exciting to see if you're familiar with Ocean City in my opinion. The charm definitely comes from the nostalgia not the characters or even story. Remove the nostalgia and there's nothing special about it.

It's 1985. Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte) is an awkward teen loner. He loves ping pong and hip hop. His sister Michelle (Helena Seabrook) is a bitter sarcastic teen. His parents state trooper Brendan (John Hannah) and Crandall (Lea Thompson) are cheapskates. They got a deal on their Ocean City annual summer vacation. He's infatuated with Stacy Summers. Rich kids Lyle Ace and Dale Lyons are picking on him. His new friend Teddy Fryy tells him that his next door neighbor Randi Jammer (Susan Sarandon) is a weirdo but she turns out to be a great mentor.I really want to root for these kids. I kinda like them in their shy dorky ways. Their story is sweet and a little cliché. I like the popular girl who has a problem. The main drawback are the teen actors. I don't want to say bad things about them but they're mostly amateurs. It shows. Their dialog, their interactions and their general acting abilities are all a bit deficient. Writer/director Michael Tully needs to give Rad another dimension. He needs an awkward sense of humor or something more than just being shy. The adults are fine and I love Hannah and Thompson. Sarandon has some nice moments. Amy Sedaris has a nice fun short section. The kids need a bit more charisma.

Even though the film feels somewhat similar to the film the way way back in which both films are set in the summer and having the two main characters attempting to rediscover themselves. However in this film the character rad played by newcomer Marcello conte who has two obsessions hip hop music and ping pong. While on vacation in ocean city Maryland for the summer rad meets a friend named Theo and gets his first crush named Stacie. However he also has to deal with racist rich kids dale and Lyle. What I liked about the film was the music scenery and clothes. I loved how it portrayed rads quiet persona to a confident young man. It feels like a great homage to 80s films.

Pretend it's the Karate Kid, but lower the stakes and take out the character depth. This script had potential, but every single thing that happened felt completely contrived. I wanted to like it, so it just made it that much worse that it sucked. The only surprises in the movie were how shallow the characters ended up being. Everyone's an archetype. Every event is formulaic. It almost felt like an outline of a movie where the scenes were placeholders for what should have been there. Seriously, don't waste your time.Just for the record, the cast isn't terrible. The things they do that make this almost unwatchable were clearly intended by the director.