Balls of Fury (2007)

Down-and-out former professional ping-pong phenom, Randy Daytona, is sucked into a maelstrom when FBI Agent Ernie Rodriguez recruits him for a secret mission. Randy is determined to bounce back and win, and to smoke out his father's killer -- arch-fiend Feng.

Director:

Robert Ben Garant

Writers:

Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garant

Stars:

Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, George Lopez

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Fogler	...	Randy Daytona
Christopher Walken	...	Feng
George Lopez	...	Rodriguez
Maggie Q	...	Maggie
James Hong	...	Wong
Terry Crews	...	Freddy
Robert Patrick	...	Sgt. Pete Daytona
Diedrich Bader	...	Gary
Aisha Tyler	...	Mahogany
Thomas Lennon	...	Karl Wolfschtagg
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa	...	Mysterious Asian Man
Brett DelBuono	...	Young Randy - 12 Yrs. Old (as Brett Delbuono)
Jason Scott Lee	...	Siu-Foo
Toby Huss	...	Groundskeeper
David Holmes	...	TV Producer (as Dave Holmes)

Storyline

In the unsanctioned, underground, and unhinged world of extreme Ping-Pong, the competition is brutal and the stakes are deadly. Down-and-out former professional Ping-Pong phenom Randy Daytona is sucked into this maelstrom when FBI Agent Rodriguez recruits him for a secret mission. Randy is determined to bounce back and recapture his former glory, and to smoke out his father's killer - one of the FBI's Most Wanted, arch-fiend Feng. But, after two decades out of the game, Randy can't turn his life around and avenge his father's murder without a team of his own. He calls upon the spiritual guidance of blind Ping-Pong sage and restaurateur Wong, and the training expertise of Master Wong's wildly sexy niece Maggie, both of whom also have a dark history with Feng. All roads lead to Feng's mysterious jungle compound and the most unique Ping-Pong tournaments ever staged. There, Randy faces such formidable players as his long-ago Olympics opponent, the still-vicious Karl Wolfschtagg. Can Randy...

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Plot Keywords:

tournament | spoof | cricket the sport | ping pong | fbi agent | 

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Taglines:

A huge comedy with tiny balls

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for crude and sex-related humor, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Metropolitan Films [France] Rogue Pictures [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

29 August 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Una loca competencia

Filming Locations:

Fung Lum Restaurant - 222 University Terrace Parkway, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,352,123, 2 September 2007

Gross USA:

$32,886,940

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$41,098,719

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rogue Pictures, Intrepid Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jason Scott Lee tells the Ping Pong master he cannot teach gwei-loh, or foreigners. Jason Scott Lee played Bruce Lee in Dragon, a biopic about Bruce Lee. In that movie, Dragon, Jason Scott Lee (as Bruce Lee) was teaching Kung Fu to foreigners and he was summoned to a council to fight as punishment for his transgressions. Jason Scott Lee then warns the Ping Pong master he would have to face the Dragon if he continues to teach foreigners, most likely a reference to his own movie.

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Goofs

Despite the words "Ten Years Later" being displayed on the screen, Randy mentions he hasn't played in 19 years after losing his first match.

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Quotes

Feng: Ping pong, or as the Chinese say: "Ping pong".

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Connections

References Seoul 1988: Games of the XXIV Olympiad (1988)

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Soundtracks

Chikara
Traditional arranged by Mary Jane Mayeda
Performed by Hikari Taiko

User Reviews

Okay, for cable

Balls of Fury wasn't the total disaster, but when that's the highest praise I can offer, well, that's a problem. Think of it as a lesser version of Dodgeball.

Ping-pong just isn't that funny, or exciting, or anything really - just like the film. The idea of underground ping-pong never really goes anywhere. The jokes are okay at times, but there are no big laughs and certainly no surprises.

Unless you are a 10-14 year-old boy, who given the film's humor and scantily clad actresses is obviously the target market, you will probably be disappointed by paying money for it. Wait a couple of years and watch it free some night on Comedy Central and spend your ten bucks somewhere else.