Ping Pong Summer hits Blu-ray on August 5th from Millenium Entertainment
I grew up in Maryland in the 1980s and went to Ocean City every summer of my life as far back as I can remember. Being from Maryland doesn’t mean a whole lot when it comes to pop culture iconography. You see Washington, DC in a lot of movies, but normally they shoot somewhere else and pretend they’re in DC. Our region, I feel, has never been much to write home about from a cultural influence perspective. And so when Ping Pong Summer comes along and serves as the ultimate 1980s Maryland nostalgia trip, I can’t deny getting a fair amount of pleasure out of it.
Writer/Director Michael Tully’s film is a retro coming of age comedy following the ping-pong playing, hip hop-listening Rad Miracle (newcomer Marcello Conte) as his family travels to Ocean City for the summer. Rad makes a new friend in the jheri curl-sporting Teddy (Myles Massey), encounters some bullies at the local “Fun Zone” who dominate the ping pong table, and makes some feeble attempts at wooing Stacy Summers (Emmi Shockley), an older girl who seems to be showing some interest in him. What follows is basically Karate Kid with ping pong, featuring Susan Sarandon in the Mr. Miyagi role. Which, even as I type it, sounds pretty great.
On top of the rush I got from seeing such “in the know” Ocean City locales as Phillips Seafood, The Dough Roller, Boardwalk Fries, or Dumsers Ice Creams, Tully’s script has its share of laughs and the soundtrack is filled with old school hip hop tracks that add a verve and energy to proceedings throughout. The cast is also littered with familiar faces, including Lea Thompson playing Rad’s mom and John Hannah (The Mummy, Four Weddings And A Funeral) playing his father. Sarandon has a fairly meaty role as the mysterious and scary beach lady who ends up tutoring Rad in the ways of ping pong so that he can face off against the local town douchebag who’s dad is the richest guy in Ocean City.
There’s some authentic feeling moments, and I appreciate the movie telling a story that allows me to reminisce about my childhood vacations. But there’s been a spate of recent coming of age films that succeeded on a much higher level than Ping Pong Summer does. Each positive element about the movie I’ve discussed so far seems fun on its own, but as a whole the film never gels into more than the sum of its parts. Sweet hip hop tracks and vintage callbacks do not a movie make. And with the much funnier Napolean Dynamite feeling like a clear comparison point, or the “white kid hip hop fan” coming of age film The Wackness offering much better drama elements, I can’t help but feel like the only draw that helps Ping Pong Summer stand out from the crowd is that Ocean City location.
If you grew up going to Ocean City, MD, during really any era, I bet you’ll find a lot to enjoy here just like I did. Maybe even any east coast beach vacationers could relate. But beyond some laughs and a strong feeling of association with 1985 in all its glory, the characters won’t take you to any real place of emotion or engagement, and it can’t be denied that other coming of age movies have done this way better before. This is a charming film with some exciting supporting cast members and a pretty fresh soundtrack. At a brisk 92 minutes, you could do a lot worse than to rent Ping Pong Summer on a relaxed summer day; but do check out The Wackness for a similar feeling film that offers a little more depth.
The Package
There’s a commentary track on the disc recorded by writer/director Michael Tully and producer George Rush which is actually pretty insightful. They are having a blast pointing out all of their own easter eggs and also give a lot of insight into the process of developing the film. Tully says he’s been writing a new draft of the script every summer for about 20 years until they finally got the film made.
There’s also a behind the scenes featurette that features a pretty humorous take on the production.
For such a small film, I’d say this release offers a lot of quality bonus content. Big fans of 1980s teen cinema, early hip hop, or Susan Sarandon would do well to check out Ping Pong Summer, but don’t expect to be wholly transported to another time and place so much as simply to be passingly entertained.
And I’m Out.
Originally published at old.cinapse.co on August 5, 2014.