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 It’s
good to be Christopher Wang. He lives in a nice suburban home with a
nice family so indulgent towards the twenty-something-year-old that his
underachieving lifestyle and series of dead-end jobs rate only a general
exasperated sigh. In the shadow of his doctor elder brother, Christopher
Wang is validated by his alter ego, C-dub, the coolest guy on the
playground. In that corner of his world, C-dub is king; spouting unique
Pro-Asian philosophies in rapid-fire hip-hop patois, sporting his
variety of Yao Ming basketball jerseys, or simply opening a can of
slam-dunk on the elementary school kids silly enough to challenge his
authority. Yes, it’s good to be C-dub.
That is,
until the day that he unwittingly causes a minor car accident leaves his
mother without the capability to run her ping pong class and his older
brother unable to defend his championship in The Golden Cock table
tennis tournament. All C-dub’s notions of cool are affronted as he
unwillingly takes over his mother’s class of ping pong playing misfits
and defends not only his family’s honour, but indeed the honour of the
entire Chinese race by winning The Golden Cock.
Yes, the
premise is indeed nuts (N.P.I.),
but Ping Pong Playa is a comedy so fresh and winning that it all makes
sense. At the heart of Ping Pong Playa’s humour is a culture clash
within C-dub’s own home. As a Chinese-American born in the age of the
internet and cable television, C-dub is a walking collage of millions of
pieces of pop culture. C-dub’s the black sheep of his respectable,
hardworking family, a happy slacker living for video games, colourful
cereal and Cinnebon at the mall. The worst thing that could happen to
his ultra-smooth self-image is to be dragged into the family’s ping
pong-playing ways. The innate nerdishness of the sport offends C-dub’s
very soul, but even he bows to the family’s will after a fashion when
their table tennis empire is threatened by a competing ping pong class.
There is a
lot to love about Ping Pong Playa; the script is sharp and savvy, yet
happy to revel in inspired silliness. I challenge moviegoers to forget
C-dub’s look of pride as he rolls around town on an amped-up minibike;
and when I say minibike, I mean a bright green creation about 18 inches
high at the handle bars. Only C-dub’s misdirected sense of cool would
find this full grown man so thrilled to sit on the back of something
that looks like it was last owned by Ringling Brothers. The movie allows
C-dub to be a clown, yet he’s never a one-note joke: Yes, there are
those laugh at
moments, but there are many more
laugh with
sequences and just plain funny dialog. You don’t have to be Chinese to
find the humour in C-dub’s father waking him every morning clanging pots
and pans and bellowing Chinese opera while frying Spam in a wok. C-dub’s
mom’s discomfiture as she and other mothers battle it out for maternal
superiority comparing their children’s’ accomplishments is a hoot. C-dub’s
“successful” brother the doctor, this Golden Child has no prospects for
a mate due to his impossibly stringent “8 Commandments” that any woman
he dates must follow. C-dub’s introduction to “regulation” table tennis
shorts is pure comedy win. Watching C-dub get worked up at imagined
racial slights is funny enough, but those scenes also serve to point out
how selectively sensitive he is and the nervous reactions of those who
innocuously cause his indignation is a thoughtful chime in on how overly
politically correct we’ve become.
There’s a
real sweetness to Ping Pong Playa, as well, the inclusion of the
adorable young ping pong nerds who become C-dub’s acolytes (-
one is even instructed to call
him “sifu”) manage to
nearly drag C-dub kicking and screaming into responsible adulthood. C-dub’s
family dynamic is unique and notable because we’re shown an actual
functional family, albeit with one lackadaisical goofball in the mix.
What’s refreshing is the way they actually do get along and care for
each other and are funny in the way that real families are. Many of the
tried and true film devices don’t apply here; C-dub’s parents aren’t
pleased at their youngest’s lack of ambition, but they clearly love him
and in some manner accept his faults, whereas perhaps in other films his
slack (- and his
family’s reaction to it)
might have been the whole story and most of the comedy. It’s a small bit
of heartwarming when C-dub’s dad decides to train him for the tournament
because it’s rare to see a normal father figure - slightly goofy as in
the way of most dads, but involved and nurturing - who believes in his
son despite being given every reason – mostly by C-dub himself - not to.
Truly a
bright and funny picture, Ping Pong Playa is deftly directed by
Oscar-winning documentarian Jessica Yu, who exhibits great wisdom in her
choices and a real flair for so-silly-it’s-smart comedy in her first
narrative feature. Her cast is delightful, particularly Jim Lau as C-dub’s
father and Khary Payton as C-dub’s supportive running buddy JP Money.
The contrast to his wanksta-hip, tradition-bucking pal, JP is an
African-American young man who painstakingly suffers through first grade
Chinese classes in his quest to conquer the emerging Chinese business
market. Yu cast three adorable kids Andrew Vo, Javin Reid and Kevin
Chung for C-dub’s students/cheering squad who are sweet without being
precious. There are wonderful spots by Queer-as-Folk’s Peter Paige and
Scott Lowell as the sleazy ping pong usurpers and MadTV’s Stephnie Weir
as the culturally awkward tournament director. Keeping with the
Asian-American theme, Ping Pong Playa also enlists a funky-fresh
soundtrack featuring songs by Far East Movement and Chops that would
certainly have met C-dub’s approval.
The fact
that it was originally believed that another actor would be cast as
Christopher “C-dub” Wang is unfathomable, as this very literally is the
role Jimmy Tsai was born to play. C-dub was Tsai’s creation after all,
originating from a series of very funny short films that served as Ping
Pong Playa’s inspiration. Under Yu’s skillful direction, inflating the
character to fit a full-fledged feature takes nothing away from the snap
of Tsai’s performance. He is a natural and his hilarious id, C-dub, is a
character whose further adventures I would be only too happy to follow
for many sequels to come.
Well done.
~ Mighty
Ganesha
Sept. 1st,
2008
Click
here for our fabulous exclusive chat with Oscar-winning Director Jessica
Yu and C-dub himself, Jimmy Tsai.
PPS:
C-dub’s short films (-
and some really sweet gear)
can be found at
http://www.venomsportswear.com
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