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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Ping Pong

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:57 / 20.08.04

"Enter the hero!"

It is extremely unlikely that I will see a better film this year than Ping Pong. Londoners: get down to the ICA and see it while you still have the chance (seven days!). Everyone else: by hook or by crook, find a way to see this movie. It's like a Japanese Bring It On with a splash of Kavalier & Clay and maybe a cheeky, knowing nod to The Karate Kid, and it might be the greatest sport movie of all time.

The ICA blurb says:

A huge hit in Japan, this exhilarating and endearing tale of childhood friends set against a sporting backdrop is full of style and energy. Despite fundamental differences in temperament, the cocky, outgoing Peco (popular star Yosuke Kubozuka) and the reserved, ironically-named Smile (Arata) remain friends into their teenage years. Star ping-pong players for their school, the pair hit personal crises that affect both their lives and their game. Based on the five-volume manga by Taiyo Matsumoto, this debut film from Fumihiko Sori is marked by unpredictable plot and character developments, an appealing lack of cynicism and some of the most exciting, imaginative sporting sequences ever committed to film.

I concur, but I want to also mention that it has some of the best supporting characters of any movie I've seen in a while - the rival players 'Demon', 'Dragon' and 'China' are all fully rounded (everyone has two names, of course), the boys' coach 'Butterfly Joe' is sweet and tragic, and I think I may be in love with Mari Natsuki, who is mesmeric in this as Peco's chain-smoking, ping-pong-dojo-running granny, and was also the gravelly voice of the grannies in Spirited Away, last year's best movie.

Oh, and the soundtrack rules. If you don't like this movie, there's something wrong with you. Objectively.

12:37 / 20.08.04

I want to see it, honest. I may just have to find the torrent.

14:09 / 20.08.04

I swear to you all, I had an idea years ago for a movie about ping-pong. When Forrest Gump came out, I thought "OK, they still haven't done a movie that's all about ping-pong, they just had Forrest Gump as a ping-pong champ in a few scenes." And now my idea has been done. Ah well.

If it's a good movie, I'm happy. Plus, I had no ideas for the plot beyond 'it's a movie about ping-pong, cause no one else has done that before,' so it's just as well.

Tryphena Absent

21:58 / 20.08.04

Ping Pong is an amazing film. It's a little bit surreal, the relationships are really strong and everyone is likeable at the end. I rarely feel so good when I leave the cinema. It's really sad that no one's started a thread on this before, I think I'm going to have to ring up a few people and talk them in to it because it's really, really good.

Words can't do it justice. Here are some pictures instead, I'm not sure they will do it justice either:

If you want to know more than read the fantastic review that lives here

Tryphena Absent

22:10 / 20.08.04

And you can see the trailers here

23:04 / 20.08.04

Has anyone read the manga? And does anyone know if the anime The Ping Pong Club is part of the same thing?

I'm not too sure about the pic, looks a bit Shaolin Soccer not that that's a bad thing but it doesn't sound like the sort of thing your describing. I'll watch the trailer.

23:30 / 20.08.04

Haven’t read the 'Ping Pong' manga, but anyone unfamiliar with Matsumoto’s comics really should get hold of some. Be good to your eyes. For they are very, very, very lovely comics.

17:27 / 21.08.04

Is this the movie that they had the "behind the scenes" thing on ebaumsworld for? With the matrix-style ping pong and the greeen screen? This?

No star here laces

08:43 / 23.08.04

It's just a great film. Don't get sidetracked by all the stylistic shit or even the ping pong. Like all good movies it's character-driven more than anything else. It's like when you first started watching 6 Feet Under and realised it was so great because all the characters had about 4 more dimensions than on any other tv show. It's like a film of the 40s or 50s in that sense. It's anti high-concept.

You cannot describe why you should see ping pong, you should just see ping pong then talk about it.

SPOILERS

Honestly, deeply, truly - do you think he let Peco win, or is Peco just the better player? Me, I think Butterfly Joe doesn't know his arse from his elbow and failed to spot the true talent. But whadda I know?

foot long subbacultcha

10:14 / 23.08.04

I'll add my own love for this movie.

I understand the comparisons to Shalin Soccer on the surface, but this one has more heart and less silliness. Can't hype it enough.

Tryphena Absent

15:21 / 23.08.04

Spoilers...

Well Jefe I kind of see it like this: My dad always says that he can identify the moment that I decided I didn't care about winning. Apparently I was racing my cousin (who's still about half my size) when I was 7 years old and I let her overtake me. The thing is that I made a choice that remained with me for years- I have the capability to catch a ball/hit a ball/run blah blah but I truly never cared. It just always seemed so pointless, to make yourself feel bad to catch something flying through the air and I think that's the thing about Smile and the thing that granny knows and Butterfly Joe doesn't. It doesn't matter who wins because Peco's triumph is just as valid whether Smile let's him win or not. His motivation is all that really matters. So it's really a film about choice, which explains why I like it so much.

No star here laces

01:19 / 25.08.04

SPOILERS

I think that's certainly an element. But there's also an element in the film about the beauty of excellence and the joy of talent. It's a disservice to Peco's character to say that it's all about winning - like they say, when he's playing baldie (argh, forgot the name) you can see he's just lost in the love of the game and the possibilities and what he can do with his body.

And baldie sees it too - "take me here again".

So I still get left wanting to know if smile can touch that place that Peco gets to when he plays in terms of enjoyment of the process win or lose - whether he has the appreciation of the aesthetics of ping pong, which I guess is kind of how I'd define talent in this scenario.

I mean the film will always be bittersweet, because smile IS tragic however you look at it, he's weighed down by sadness. But it alters the balance of bitter and sweet to know whether the joy wasn't there, or if the joy was there but he simply chose not to use it.

Of course having said all that, what makes the film what it is, is that you can't know, and they explicitly leave it open to interpretation.

Which makes me then want to talk about "The Return" - anybody seen it?

SPOILERS FOR "THE RETURN"

God damn that ending pissed me off!!!!!!!!!

I mean the movie was beautiful and the tale was complete in its way but my overly rational brain was left wracked and tormented by the LACK OF FUCKING FACTS.

What was the dad doing on the island? What was in the box?

What I like about Ping Pong is that they give you the events, and leave you the opportunity to meditate on character and meaning. The return laid bare the characters, but left you to meditate on facts, and I found that so much less satisfying.

Regrettable Juvenilia

19:31 / 14.01.06

Short notice, but anyone in the UK who has BBC4 and no other plans for the evening - or plans that are less exciting than seeing one of the best films of the past five years, which is what Ping Pong is - should turn on their TV at 10pm tonight - ie in half an hour - and watch it.

23:59 / 14.01.06

Is Ping Pong on DVD in the USA?

Tryphena Absent

00:13 / 15.01.06

I don't think so but they do sell it on Amazon. The link will take you straight to it.

06:35 / 15.01.06

Those who haven't seen this yet are really highly recommemded to address the situation in fairly short order. It does sound awful, I know, a film about sport, and table tennis, yet - however well it's shot/scripted etc, it's bound to be a nightmare, of course it is. At least that's what I thought, anyway (Up against stiff competition on Barbelith, I'm not sure if anyone hates sport more than I do,) but I was wrong, very wrong. it's got far more to do with something like 'Mean Streets' than it has with say 'Rocky,' and while I wouldn't be inclined to believe me either, given the subject matter, this is basically something that, if it's in the local vid shop, I think almost anyone would find terribly entertaining.

And it's not as if I'm the most positive person on Barbelith either.

(See also some of the above recommedations, who they were from.)

13:04 / 15.01.06

After reading all these fine recommendations I've ordered it from here (for 17 quid less than Amazon.co.uk).