You know a good comedy when you laugh right through it —and afterwards when someone asks, “What it was about?” you say, “Oh I don’t know. It was just about this guy. He was trying to play ping pong.”
Just go see it.
Okay, fine. This guy- his name is Christopher Wang. He calls himself “C-dub.” Other people pronounce his last name with a twang. And he corrects them, “Wahh-ng. Wong.” He’s into basketball, but he isn’t good at it. His older brother is perfect, and his parents are focused on making their living- as proprietors of the local ping pong store. Everyone has a role in this- Mr. Wang runs the store, Mrs. Wang teaches a ping pong class at Chinese school that brings in business, and first-born Michael brings it in by being the dashing model son– handsome, smiling, agreeable to all- and a doctor, of course. And most importantly, a local celebrity as the area ping pong champion.
Chris, meanwhile, is in his own world, full of ideas and low on reality. He’s a slacker, talker, and dreamer. When his mother and brother are injured in an accident, he must rise to fill the roles of both ping pong teacher and champion. Can he elevate ping pong in the name of his family, for Chinese people, and most of all, himself?
Also involved are kids from Chinese school, a girl to impress, and short shorts.
Ping Pong Playa screened last weekend at the Asian American International Film Festival in New York, and will be playing in selected theaters starting in Los Angeles on September 5th.
Director: Jessica Yu
Cast: Jimmy Tsai, Roger Fang
