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 | cricket the sport | ping pong | fbi agent | paddle | 

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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:

$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

Thomas Lennon wrote the character of Feng expecting to play it himself.

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Goofs

Rodriguez tells Randy that the Cantonese word "gweilo" means "round-eye." The literal translation is "white ghost" and it is most commonly translated as "foreign devil". However, this line is probably a joke.

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Quotes

Karl Wolfschtagg: Daytona, I have said some cruel things about you. To my friends here at the tournament, I tell them that the reason that you hate me so much, is because I had sex with your mother.
Randy Daytona: My mother died when I was two. I hardly knew her.
Karl Wolfschtagg: Yeah I know it's a horrible thing to say. And yet these things that I say over and over again... I do not mean them. Because in truth, you are the greatest player I have ever scene. Other than myself, practicing in front of a mirror. Which I do... everyday... in the ...
[...]

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

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Soundtracks

Rock Of Ages
Written by Stephen Clark (as Steve Clark), Joe Elliott (as Joseph Elliott),
Robert John Lange (as Robert "Mutt" Lange), Rick Savage (as Richard Savage),
, Pete Willis and Rick Allen (as Richard Allen)
Performed by Def Leppard
Courtesy of Mercury Records Limited
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Mocked its own genre, not for everybody

This is a Thomas Lennon written comedy, so you know it's going to be a little abstract, and very pacing based. Balls of Fury really did a great job of keeping in the same humor vein of Reno 911, etc.

Yes, there are crotch shots and other typical middle school humor, but they happened so often and with such randomness that it went from stupid to hilarious.

A lot of the humor is based in uncomfortable moments. Not a lot of people enjoy being made uncomfortable by something they are viewing for entertainment, but if you like that style of humor, Balls of Fury is right up your alley.

This isn't for everybody, so it'll either be a 10 or 1 for you. Worth the rental just to see.