A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

In our lives we end up saying "that was the worst movie ever made" many, many times. I highly doubt i'll EVER say that again after watching this thing. I would need about 5 pages to explain the awfulness of this movie. It makes no sense at any point, you don't want to root for the wimpy lead kid at all, and how does the mean kid that crushed him in ping pong a week earlier now forget how to pay all together? The only good part was the fat red headed dummy who over-acts thru every scene. And well that's not "good" but it was funny. I pray the world deletes every copy of this movie and it just becomes a myth.

I passed this movie over more than once because the title had me thinking it was a children's movie, but out of sheer boredom one day I decided to give it a shot. From the opening credits to the final scene I found the film utterly delightful. The movie employs a dry sense of humor and draws upon memories of growing up in the eighties, so it is tailored to a very specific audience. The artist's technique in this film was to take a very simple story line and effectively provoke a sense of nostalgia in the audience referencing popular 1980's concepts. If you weren't a child of the eighties watching shows like "You Can't Do That on Television" and collecting Garbage Pail Kid Cards, you probably won't relate to this movie. I haven't seen any of this writer/director's other work, but if he is as effective at applying this level of skill to a story tailored to a wider audience, I think he could be the next Stanley Kubrick.

I really liked this film. I am the same age as the protagonist, and I loved ping pong and rap music. We vacationed in Rehobith Beach which is not far from Ocean City.But the movie itself has a low key, realistic feel to it; and it makes you feel good. I put it in my top 10 list. Those scenes on the boardwalk feel real to me. The protagonist was awkward, but likable. The best friend was nerdy, but cool--if that makes sense. The montage when they become best friends seemed heartfelt. They feel like real kids in the 80's. The arcades, the clothes, the family; it was just believable, innocent, and fun. If you are into mainstream films you probably won't like it. But if you fall into my demographic this film may appeal to you. I liked it better than "The Way Way Back" that everyone else compares it to. That movie just didn't resonate with me; but this did. The family seemed more like mine; and more likable.

This film is weird: deeply original under many respects and unbelievably ordinary under others. It's the story of a young boy who is initiated to tennis table (and to love) during a summer vacation with his family. The estranging atmosphere of the 80s is depicted very well and the everyday life of a boy from a family with no means is also rendered in a surprisingly realistic way for a comedy.Everything is nice and funny until you realize that you are watching the most predictable and clichéd plot you can imagine. This will not completely spoil the thing for you but will leave you at least surprised: so many ideas (starting from the head titles in three different styles) and such a poor ending.Visual stuff, characters and dialogues, however, are too good to shoot this film down.