Opening 10 Jul 2008
Directed by:
Robert Ben Garant
Writing credits:
Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant
Principal actors:
Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, Maggie Q, James Hong
Randy Daytona is a child prodigy at table tennis, coached by his ambitious military-type father. During an important game Daytona loses, and his father is killed by the notorious Mr. Feng. Nineteen years later an adult Daytona (Dan Fogler) is a fat circus act. Agent Ernie Rodriquez convinces him to participate in a top-secret table tennis championship in order to take revenge on his father and serve up Mr. Feng to the CIA. Blind Master Wong agrees to get him back in shape with the help of his beautiful daughter Maggie, although normally he refuses to teach “gweilos” (non-Chinese). Daytona plays against The Hammer and The Dragon and a German stereotype named Karl Wolfschtagg. Mr. Feng turns out to be Christopher Walken, dressed like “a customer at Elton John’s garage sale,” according to blind Master Wong. There is kung-fu, an unlucky-lucky cricket, gum under the ping pong table, and Def Leppard music. Fogler comes across as a Jack Black clone. The film is to ping pong, uh sorry, to table tennis, what Blades of Glory was to ice skating, namely a not-serious spoof on the stupid side, but fun nevertheless. (Becky Tan)
