Ping Pong Summer

Spoofing Karate Kid-style movies by replacing martial arts with ping pong isn't necessarily a bad idea, but this tedious, flaccid coming-of-age story drops the (little plastic) ball, despite having Susan Sarandon on hand as the equivalent of Mr. Miyagi. Sarandon appears only briefly to give lessons—game-and-life related—to 15-year-old Rad Miracle (Marcello Conte), a likable geek who is spending the summer of 1985 with his family in Ocean City, MD. Rad, whose sole interests appear to be ping pong and Michael Jackson dance moves, quickly attracts an equally uncool pal (Myles Massey), as well as the ire of a rich bully (Joe McCaughtry), who just happens to be the local ping pong champ. Rad also becomes smitten with the pretty girl (Emmi Shockley) fancied by the champ. In addition to Sarandon, Ping Pong Summer features a number of other recognizable actors (John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Amy Sedaris), but all play second fiddle to the kids, who mostly deliver amateur-night-level performances under the limp guidance of writer-director Michael Tully. Needless to say, the plot inevitably lumbers toward a table-tennis showdown between Rad and his rival, a match that is neither exciting nor fun. An inoffensive but monotonous film, this is not a necessary purchase. (F. Swietek)