For those of us who loved Michael Tully's directorial debut, SEPTIEN, it was rather surprising to discover that he had a dream. That dream is PING PONG SUMMER -- a movie so far removed from his directorial debut it is almost impossible to imagine that both were made by the same artist! There have been a number of movies that have attempted to recreate the 80's in just as many ways. Because this film is written/directed by Michael Tully you might expect that he would create something similar to David Wain's WET HOT American SUMMER … only more twisted. But that is not his intent. But this is no parody. This is not cynical.This is not even an ode to 1980's movies. PING PONG SUMMER is simply a nostalgic memory of a very specific moment not only in American culture -- but in the life of a 13 year old boy. And guess what, it's not about a boy trying to get laid or having to survive through a traumatic childhood. This is a movie about a slightly awkward kid trying to find a way to assert his identity. During a family summer vacation, an awkward 13 year old tries to find a way to assert his identity. The only problem is that he is just a bit too young and innocent to understand what that means, Rad ends up having a nice summer. We follow Rad through the summer. Things do happen, but never in an even slightly unbelievable way. The magic of the movie lies in it's simplicity. We often only see the world through the eyes of a normal kid. And we quite literally re-experience 1985 from his perspective. Hip Hop was just about to break mainstream, Boom-boxes ruled, the Arcade was THE place to be and it was crucial to master the art of achieving the perfect mix for your Icey! Oh, and do remember the obscene amount and choice of food at buffet restaurant?!?! There is actually a great deal of humor here.,but don't expect generic slapstick or crass humor. The films humor most often sneaks in just below the radar. The funniest moments are are in the way the characters react to the situations and/or comments made by others. Even when Amy Sedaris and Robert Longstreet are introduced as the "looney" aunt and uncle — the humor is not directly aimed at their inappropriate behavior. The funny aspect of this short extended family visit is in the way Rad's family creatively navigates the situation. They are family, after all. It would be hard for anyone who was between the ages of 12 to 19 in the year of 1985 not enjoy this movie. There was something bittersweet about the movie. It often feels like a memory.

This film is about a teenager who takes up ping pong ball by chance during a family summer holiday in a seaside town.I guess this film is more about the story than the acting, but I still think "Ping Pong Summer" can be better in this aspect. The teenage actors are not very convincing, only the Gothic sister is good. The plot is probably supposed to be inspiring, but it turns out to be very flat and not very engaging. Maybe it's because there's no ups then downs, or maybe there's not enough intensive training, or the psychological motivation to win is not presented to be strong enough. The plot fails to interest me. I wonder why Susan Sarandon got involved with this project. And the film could have cast all unknowns to save on budget.

This film is weird: deeply original under many respects and unbelievably ordinary under others. It's the story of a young boy who is initiated to tennis table (and to love) during a summer vacation with his family. The estranging atmosphere of the 80s is depicted very well and the everyday life of a boy from a family with no means is also rendered in a surprisingly realistic way for a comedy.Everything is nice and funny until you realize that you are watching the most predictable and clichéd plot you can imagine. This will not completely spoil the thing for you but will leave you at least surprised: so many ideas (starting from the head titles in three different styles) and such a poor ending.Visual stuff, characters and dialogues, however, are too good to shoot this film down.

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.