Ping Pong Playa

I was browsing through Netflix last night, and I came across Ping Pong Playain the Feel Good section and decided to give it a try.

The premise of the film is about an immature Chinese American, who is wasting away his life playing video games, but finally does good when he trains to win a ping pong tournament for his family.

It is similar to a movie like Napoleon Dynamite, because its protagonist is incredibly awkward.  It is similar to any sports movie as it has an initial defeat, a training video montage and a final battle.

I think it does a good job of showing the immigrant family experience.  The parents of the protaganist alternate between English and Chinese in a way that felt very authentic to me.

There is definitely a racial component to this movie, but there's not much to comment on.  It is just one of the drivers of the movie. Much like Chris Farley's weight was used for comedic purposes, so were the racial factors in the movie.

Should you watch this movie?  Maybe, if you are looking to kill some time and don't want to think.