PING PONG SUMMER
US, 2014, 92 minutes, Colour.
Marcello Conte, Myles Massey, John Hannah, Lea Thompson, Susan Sarandon, Joseph McCaughtry, Andy Riddle, Judah Friedlander, Helena Seabrook, Emi Shockley.
Directed by Mike Tully.
Ping-Pong Summer is set in 1985 (and film buffs noting that is the year of come back to the Future and Lea Thompson as the star). It is also the era of John Hughes films.
On the whole, this is a very nice film, the target audience is early teenagers, the central character, Rad (Marcello Conte in a rare film performance), is 13, shy and awkward, loves ping-pong, hip-hop music. He befriends a young African-American boy, Teddy (Miles Massey) and they bond. However, they are targets of two older boys, bullies, mocking, winning a table tennis. Rad also encounters a young girl but is disappointed in her, thinking she takes cocaine, is drunk, is rather reprimanding of her but she confesses to him and changes.
The film has detail of family holidays on the Maryland coast and beaches. But, the drama as the title indicates focuses on ping-pong and Rad is able to be coached by former champion who lives next door – played by Susan Sarandon.
This is a rather low-key family film, especially for younger teenagers – and for their parents.
1. The tone of the title, the emphasis on ping-pong, the summer holiday? 1985?
2. The target audience, early teenagers in mid teenagers? Rad is 13, Teddy is 13, the older bully boys, the girls? A film for parents?
3. The family, getting ready for the holiday, the older sister with the touch of the Gothic, red shy, awkward, ping-pong, hip-hop? Travelling to the holiday, setting up the house? The musical score?
4. The focus on Rad, going out, the encounter with Teddy, Teddy and his outreach, friendly, African-American? Doing everything together, the table tennis, the music, friendship? The bully boys, their age, mocking, racist? The issue of ping-pong? Rad and his being defeated, the mockery?
5. The family, the mother and father, the relationship, concern, Michelle and her being aloof, concern about Rad? The meals out? Conversations, the ping-pong, the going to the match, support?
6. The bullies, verbal, physical, the sport? The leader, his subservient friend? Winning at ping-pong?
7. Rad, seeing Stacy, the conversations, the attraction, her drinking, his thinking she took cocaine, his disappointment in her, the later talk, her confession, change, support?
8. The ping-pong, the neighbour, a champion, played by Susan Sarandon, the training, the concentration, her coming to the match? The dramatics of the game, Rad down, coming back, the arrogant assumptions of the bully, the high melodramatics of the final shot!
9. Not exactly a coming-of-age film but a 13-year-old on the way.
