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...

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

A huge comedy with tiny balls

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Sport

---

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:

$14,312,850, 2 September 2007, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$32,844,290, 4 November 2007

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.

---

Goofs

The Peppermill is not located on the downtown strip of Reno, NV.

---

Quotes

Randy Daytona: [sees a man standing up] Hey, a volunteer! How you doing buddy?
[takes his ping pong ball and paddle and starts bouncing the ball of the guy's face]
Cheese'N'Mac Guy: [as Randy is bouncing the ball of his face] I was just going for more Cheese 'n Mac.
Cheese'N'Mac Guy: [Randy keeps bouncing the ball of his face and then his stomach. The guy trys to protect himself with his plate but can't] Stop!
Randy Daytona: [finally catches the ball] Hoooooooeeeeeee! A-thank you!
Cheese'N'Mac Guy: [collapses from a heart attack]

---

Connections

Referenced in (500) Days of Summer (2009)

---

Soundtracks

Balls Of Fury
Written by Craig Wedren
Performed and Produced by Craig Wedren

User Reviews

I liked it, I don't understand other people's problems with it...

I laughed at this movie. I laughed a LOT. True, some of the laughs were simply because some people were in this movie that had NO BUSINESS being in it, because they are considered to belong to a higher echelon of movies. Christopher Walken and Maggie Q are usually seen in LARGE blockbusters or high-profile indies; George Lopez has a very successful TV series, not to mention MANY cameos from well-known comedic actors. These people are GOOD. When they are on the screen, funny stuff happens. The script is an obvious parody on the movie "Enter The Dragon", but with ping-pong in lieu of kung-fu or karate. It also spoofs the "underdog" motif like the "Rocky" movies. I dunno, all I can say is that I REALLY enjoyed this movie. I didn't expect much, and I got a lot back because of that. True, I was a little liquored up, and a second sober viewing might not pay off repeat dividends, but I had a good time. Isn't that really what it's all about? Honestly, it ain't Citizen Kane, but I've seen crappier movies... a contemporary comparison: I was NOT disappointed by this movie, and comparatively much more disappointed with the 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movie...

Yaaarrrr, thar be worse things under the sun, matey...