PING PONG PLAYA, which kicked off the 24th Annual Asian Pacific Film Festival on Thursday, is a delightful off-beat comedy offered up by director Jessica Yu.
Essentially, the low-budget farce is about an Asian male still chasing pipe dreams - in particular, a shot at the big leagues in pro basketball - unable to hold down gainful employment or even conjure up any meaningful direction in his life.
Through a quirky set of circumstances, C-dub (his nickname) - played with great aplomb by actor Jimmy Tsai - is forced to teach ping pong at the family business to a handful of lovable, but hapless kids in the neighborhood.
As the little darlings astutely lament to each other, what choice is there otherwise? Violin, piano, dreaded choir - go figure!
Yes, early on - the film takes a wild jab at the Asian American culture and its values - in a light-hearted, upbeat way.
Director, Jessica Yu (SOUR DEATH BALLS) joked,
"Jimmy and I both saw in C-dub the chance for some healthy self-mockery in our generations navigation of the ethnic American experience. From the oversensitivity of the politicized to perceived racist slights, the impulse to dismiss ethic stereotyping, while simultaneously mocking those who fit the stereotypes, to the resentment of the non-model minority."
That's quite a mouthful!
On occasion, PING PONG borders on the edge of controversy in this regard.
If a big-budget Hollywood production poked fun at the Asian Community - and other diverse groups represented in the film the way Lu has - it is wholly possible there may have been an outcry in the community.
At the Q & A session - when I asked Yu and the cast if the underlying message (in light of all the racial issues discussed in the media in recent days) signaled a need to "lighten up", "have a sense of humor", and "get real" - the response was amusing.
"Actually, we did get accused of white-bashing," Yu chortled. "Because of some of the comments we made about people in Encino."
But, none of the quips in respect to "race" in PING PONG PLAYA are particularly mean-spirited or offensive, to be sure.
But, I have to take note for the record. Last year, at the Los Angeles Film Festival, there was a panel discussion about diversity in Hollywood which focused on how Asians, Blacks, and others were portrayed by the industry.
Some of the stereotypes the panel objected to there - run rampant here.
And, a handful of politically-correct individuals might put forth the proposition that films like "Ping Pong" may perpetuate those myths.
I guess that old adage is true...
It's okay for any ethnic group - or person of a certain religious or sexual persuasion - to make fun of members of their own, but don't anyone else dare!
For the most part, there's a lot of side-splitting shtick and odd-ball humor, with a big satirical thrust on the annual Ping Pong tournament that C-dub must win to ensure the family honor is upheld in the community - and, of course - that sign-ups for lessons on the hot little table keep filtering in.
Enter the competition.
A couple of wacky ping pong enthusiasts (who take the rules of the game "to the max") sashay in and throw a curve ball into the mix.
Peter Paige and Scott Lowell (Queer as Folk) are wildly amusing as a couple of players out to win the tournie, at any cost.
Paige goes all out here, explores new ground as a comic actor, and succeeds admirably in a break-out role.
No doubt, both the gay community - and the straight one - will get a kick out of his characterization of a man who is obviously "gay" to everyone but himself. In the classic tradition of a closeted man, he puffs up his manhood, and all-the-while crows unconvincingly about chicks. Wink! Wink!
To divert attention elsewhere, ya think?
There's a lot of visual humor in PING PONG, too; shots of tight shorts on wiggling butts, kids with odd-ball expressions on their silly mugs which bring a smile to the face, and broad character reactions - right on the money, by the way - that add a lot of hilarity throughout to keep the laughter rolling.
A thumbs up!
