Balls of Fury

'œCan summer please be over now?' said A.O. Scott in The New York Times. After a season of such unfunny, crass comedies as Hot Rod, Rush Hour 3, and now Balls of Fury, a fall full of Oscar bait will be a welcome reprieve. Following in the footsteps of Dodgeball and Blades of Glory, Balls of Fury is the story of a loser named Randy Daytona. Played by Dan Fogler'”though the role seems written for Will Ferrell'”Daytona is a former Ping-Pong champion, whose Olympic defeat ruined his career. After being approached by an FBI agent (George Lopez) to infiltrate an underground Ping-Pong tournament run by an Asian mobster played by Christopher Walken, Daytona must relearn his sport from the blind Master Wong (James Hong). From there, 'œthe gags tend to fall within three general categories,' said Daniel Neman in the Richmond, Va., Times-Dispatch. 'œA blind guy can't see, gay guys are gay, and Christopher Walken is Christopher Walken.' Walken's appearance in a kimono halfway through the movie doesn't exactly save Balls of Fury, but it helps, said Stephen Hunter in The Washington Post. The gorgeous Maggie Q, from Mission: Impossible 3, here displays a canny knack for comedy. Given the chance to be more than a pretty face, 'œshe turns out to be spunky, sarcastic, graceful, athletic, and entirely likable.'

Rating: PG-13

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