A mostly amusing, appealing family comedy about going from pretender to contender, in life as well as pingpong.
70
The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Tsai, who co-wrote the script with Yu, pulls out all the stops with his C-dub role, brimming with witty send-ups of Chinese-American cultural values and Asian stereotypes.
70
Variety
Variety
A good, clean, fun comedy that uses a table tennis championship to crack inside jokes about Los Angeles' Chinese-American community.
63
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Has a certain silly, kid-friendly charm.
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Even the championship showdown feels polite.
50
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
This thin premise can't sustain a feature, and the racial and gay jokes are jarring, but the child actors are cute, especially Andrew.
50
Village Voice
Village Voice
Frantically paced, littered with cute kids, and overstuffed with split screens and a rap score, Ping Pong Playa angles a little too hard for tween attention, but there's no resisting the movie's antic affability or its irreverence.