Ping Pong Summer
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''Ping Pong Summer'' is a 2014 American
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
written and directed by Michael Tully. The film had its world premiere at
2014 Sundance Film Festival The 2014 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 16, 2014 until January 26, 2014 in Park City, Utah, United States, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City, Ogden, Utah, Ogden, and Sundance Resort in Utah. The festival opene ...
on January 18, 2014.
Gravitas Ventures Gravitas Ventures is an American film distribution company owned by Shout! Studios. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles in 2006, and moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to Cleveland in 2019. It focuses on the distribu ...
acquired the distribution rights of the film; they released the film theatrically and by
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...
on June 6, 2014.
Millennium Entertainment Alchemy (formerly Millennium Entertainment) was an American independent global film distributor based in Los Angeles, California. The company acquired and distributed feature films, television series and specialty programming. History Millennium ...
handled the home release of the film.


Plot summary

Set in the summer of 1985, ''Ping Pong Summer'' follows the
coming of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
of 13-year-old Radical "Rad" Miracle, a socially-awkward American boy and fan of
beatboxing Beatboxing (also, and sometimes, called beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (usually a Roland TR-808, TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
and has a sardonic personality). The family books a cottage for a lengthy summer vacation in
Ocean City, Maryland Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic resort city in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County, Maryland, along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 United States c ...
, but Rad feels alone and out-of-place there, bothered by the wacky happenings upon arrival (the family finds a fully naked old man sitting in the kitchen sink, for instance, after which Rad's father bleaches out the sink). Rad also gets accosted by two local rich bullies, preppy jock Lyle Ace and his chubby, eccentric lackey Dale. Lyle and Dale pull their car over while playing the song " Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister on the radio, proceeding to knock Rad over and destroy his groceries, but a middle-aged woman appears out of her own property and waves a dead fish in the bullies' faces, confusing them and creeping them out until they run away. Rad finds it difficult to make friends, retreating into his fantasies about being a musical artist (while attempting beatboxing in the bathroom, his mother overhears the weird noises and thinks that Rad is
masturbating Masturbation is a form of autoeroticism in which a person sexually stimulates their own genitals for sexual arousal or other sexual pleasure, usually to the point of orgasm. Stimulation may involve the use of hands, everyday objects, sex toys ...
, much to her horror). Rad is able to attract the attention of local popular girl Stacy Summers (a rumoured
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
addict), and he does make a new friend upon meeting Teddy Fryy, another vacationer staying in Ocean City with his father. Angered by the bullies, Rad hurts Teddy's feelings by making a
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
remark at him (claiming he has bad
Brillo Pad Brillo is a trade name for a scouring pad, used for cleaning dishes, and made from steel wool filled with soap. The concept was patented in 1913, at a time when aluminium pots and pans were replacing cast iron in the kitchen; the new cookware ...
hair), but the two boys make up after Rad apologizes to Teddy by purchasing him a bottle of curly hair activation cream. They attend a dance at a local youth centre, where Rad discovers that Stacy is in fact not a cocaine addict, but instead eats too many
Pixy Stix Pixy Stix are a sweet and sour colored powdered candy usually packaged in a wrapper that resembles a drinking straw. The candy is lightly poured into the mouth from the wrapper, which is made out of either plastic or paper. Pixy Stix contain dext ...
and is giving herself a sugar high). Stacy attempts to flirt sexually with Teddy; Teddy becomes uncomfortable and flees, after which Stacy accuses him of being a prude. Rad hopes to boost his self-esteem by winning a ping pong tournament against Lyle and Dale. He meets up with the woman who saved him from the bullies earlier in the film, learning that she herself is a ping pong champion and that she is somewhat reclusive; Rad and Teddy befriend her, discovering that her name is Randy, and Randy teaches them her own techniques for winning ping pong games. Meanwhile Rad visits his artsy liberal relatives at the beach, who've made unintentionally phallic shapes out of seashell sculptures, and Michelle begins questioning her direction in life and her physical appearance. She gains newfound respect for her brother when Rad defends himself for the first time against Lyle and Dale. With Teddy and Randy's help, Rad is able to win the ping pong tournament while his family cheers him on. He shares a romantic moment with Stacy after Lyle and Dale cry in defeat, and Randy congratulates him. Having found a mentor in ping pong, Rad finally develops his confidence as a teenager.


Production


Development

Director Michael Tully has said that the movie was inspired by growing up with 1980s Hollywood films, ping pong and sunny summer times in Ocean City, Maryland. With ''Ping Pong Summer'' he also wanted to pay tribute to those comedy filmmakers from the 1980s that took their time to craft heart-felt stories. Tully focused on breaking the "connect-the-dot" contemporary comedy by infusing personal experience and genuine characters. Tully grew up in Maryland, and he and his family vacationed at the resort where he shot the movie when he was an adolescent. George Rush and Tully collaborated on the sale of Tully's last film, ''Septien''. Rush had worked primarily as an entertainment lawyer, but took on the role of producer for ''Ping Pong Summer''. Tully had been polishing the script since 1992 and was eager to make a movie so reminiscent of his childhood. The duo had a clear vision for the look and feel of the movie. They wanted to make a movie that truly captured the 1980s culture and felt like it was an old reel someone had found in a vault. Wyatt Garfield was instrumental in designing a specific look in the cinematography. Also, by casting generational icons like
Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actor. With a career spanning over five decades, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to ...
and
Lea Thompson Lea Katherine Thompson (born May 31, 1961) is an American actress, singer, dancer and director. She is best known for her roles as Lorraine Baines-McFly in the ''Back to the Future'' film trilogy (1985–1990), Beverly Switzler in ''Howard t ...
, they were able to pay homage to time periods that parents in the audience would be familiar with. In the opening shots of the film, viewers see a
boom box A boombox is a transistorized portable music player featuring one or two cassette tape players/recorders and AM/FM radio, generally with a carrying handle. Beginning in the mid-1990s, a CD player was often included. Sound is delivered throu ...
, Nike shoes, and a Run-D.M.C. tape, which, as
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
wrote, are "cultural markers that would clearly peg the film to a particular decade even without a subtitle further specifying the year: 1985."


Pre-production

The production opened up in Ocean City, Maryland. According to Tully the town was excellent at preserving the nostalgic feel of summer vacations. The local authorities and citizens were very cooperative with the filmmakers. To further capture the style of the movie, the entire picture was shot on
Super 16 Super 16 may refer to * 16 mm film * Super16 (film school), a film school in Copenhagen, Denmark * "Super 16", a song the second studio album, ''Neu! 2'', by the krautrock band Neu! * A proposed expansion of the southern hemisphere Super Rugby rug ...
film stock. Tully felt very passionate about this choice and it was approved by Rush and the other producers. The film was shot in Ocean City, Maryland, marking the first time since 1986 ('' Violets Are Blue'') that a movie was filmed there.


Cast


Awards

''Ping Pong Summer'' played at the 2014
Sarasota Film Festival The Sarasota Film Festival is a film festival located in Sarasota, Florida and held in April. Its mission is "to celebrate the art of filmmaking and the contribution of filmmakers by hosting an international film festival and developing year-long ...
where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature Film.


Reception

''Ping Pong Summer'' received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
reports that 59% of 34 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 5.7 out of 10. Justin Lowe in his review for ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' praised the film, saying that "Rose-tinted as the film's perspective may be, ''Ping Pong Summer'' is still a lingering, entertaining glance back at an era that Americans just can't seem to get enough of, whether in music or movies." Mark Adams of ''
Screen International ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company which also owned '' Broadcast''. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involv ...
'' wrote that "''Ping Pong Summer'' may well feel rather familiar, but there is a lot of good-natured and very accessible fun to be had about its tale of one 13-year-old's dream of glory on the table tennis table." Chris Michael, in his review for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', said "It's gawky and awkward, but just like Rad's breakdancing worm, this one gets better as it goes along."
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
was less positive, with reviewer Tomas Hachard calling the film "a sometimes intriguing experiment in upended expectations, though not a particularly successful one," that was largely lacking "coherent purpose". Calum Marsh of
Film.com RealNetworks LLC is an American technology company and provider of Internet streaming media delivery software and services based in Seattle, Washington. The company also provides subscription-based online entertainment services and mobile enter ...
criticized ''Ping Pong Summer'' as "a cool ninety minutes of vapid 80s fetishism packaged to resemble a proper feature film" that was "resoundingly pointless". Jeannette Catsoulis of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' focused criticism on the "limp hero" and "lifeless plot", arguing that the positive qualities of the film did not "excuse characters that are little more than props for embarrassing fashion or delivery systems for dated slang." Ann Hornaday at ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' argued that "its relatively uninvolving story, starchily directed by Tully and given little zing by an uneven cast, makes 'Ping Pong Summer'" an "okay-not-great" film.


References


External links


''Ping Pong Summer'' – official website
* * * {{rotten-tomatoes, ping_pong_summer, Ping Pong Summer 2014 films American comedy films 2014 comedy films Films about vacationing Films set in the 1980s Films set in 1985 Films set in Maryland 2010s English-language films Eastern Shore of Maryland in fiction Ocean City, Maryland 2010s American films Films scored by Michael Montes