Balls Of Fury [2007]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Balls of Fury will score points with anyone who ever wished that Enter the Dragon played out in the subterranean "underbelly of ping pong" instead of the world of martial arts. Tony Award-winner Dan Fogler (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), joining the ranks of Jack Black, Seth Rogen, and Jonah Hill as a schlub (romantic?) hero, stars as Randy Daytona, a Def Leppard-loving ping-pong wizard who, as a 12-year-old, was disgraced at the 1988 Olympics. Nineteen years later and gone to seed, he is reduced to performing a novelty act in Reno until an FBI Agent (George Lopez, and yes, at one point, he will proclaim, "Say hello to my little friend" a la Al Pacino in Scarface) recruits him to infiltrate an underground ping pong tournament run by Feng (Christopher Walken), the arch villain who killed Daytona's father. Co-written by Reno 911 colleagues Robert Ben Garant (who also directed) and Thomas Lennon (who costars as Daytona's taunting East Berlin rival), Balls of Fury is hit and miss, but it fitfully kills with some ace performances, including Walken, bringing more cowbell, as Feng, resplendent in silks and red fingernails (his Christopher Walken impression, while perhaps not as uncanny as Kevin Spacey's or Jay Mohr's, is dead-on).

James Hong puts a wicked spin on the clichéd role of mentor, and action babe Maggie Q rocks as his niece. Look quick for David Koechner as hopeless entertainer Rick the Birdmaster, Patton Oswalt as an obnoxious early opponent, Kerri Kenney-Silver as a showgirl, and Diedrich Bader as one of Feng's imprisoned sex slaves (don't ask). With less go-for-the-groin humour than the title might indicate, Balls of Fury brings its A-game with some subversive bits of business, such as an ominous moment that is undercut when a menacing character is forced to re-enter the scene to ask for directions back to the highway. --Donald Liebenson

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Customer reviews

review by: faraway_pictures date: 2008-08-21 rating:
Enter the Dragon + Dragon
It's Enter the Dragon + Dragon the Bruce Lee Story done with ping pong.
It's OK, plenty of in jokes to those who know the sorce material. Worth a rewatch maybe but it's not going to be in your top 5 comedies.

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review by: date: 2008-05-28 rating:
What are you guys on about?!
This movie will have you in stitches! Both my boyfriend and I were in tears-it was that funny. As was written above, if you like the slapstick visual humour of the Anchorman etc genre then take a look - you won't be disappointed.

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review by: date: 2008-05-04 rating:
Very amusing!
All right, so this is not the best film ever. But I did find it very entertaining, and it throws some nice comedic curves your way. If you liked "DodgeBall," or any other comedies based around less-well-publicised sports, chances are pretty good you'll like this. It's got the same endearing Marginalised-Game-As-Flashy-Grand-Sporting-Event-Or-Massive-Underground-Tournament feel to it, with the added facet of a Bruce Lee film. (Bruce Lee film. Keep that in mind when you watch, and you'll get a couple of nice casting and thematic jokes related to "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.") Aside from a few moments of low comedy, the whole cast all do very well in this spoof. And while another Amazon reviewer thinks this movie is a tragic waste of Christopher Walken's talent, he certainly looks like he's enjoying himself on this project, and I really enjoyed his performance. Pity we didn't get to see him dance, though. While not the funniest comedy in my collection, its unique nature sets it apart from the others.

"Balls of Fury" is one of those films I'd recommend renting first to see if you like it, then buying it if you do.

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review by: Rob Mark date: 2008-04-27 rating:
Surely worth a 3
I feel that the only review on here does not do the film credit! If your a fan of random comedy's like Anchorman, Talledega Nights etc. then give this a try I'm sure it'll tickle you.


review by: date: 2008-04-25 rating:
don't waste your time!!
Don't waste 2 hours of your life that you can never reclaim on this film. There are no funny moments from start to finish. A major disappointment as a fan of Christopher Walken.

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Similar categories

Video . DVD & VHS . Categories . Comedy . All Comedy
Video . DVD & VHS . Substores . Regular Stores . DVD Bargains . By Price . From £4.97 . DVDs from £4.97
Video . DVD & VHS . Substores . Regular Stores . DVD Bargains . By Price . Up to 70% off . Up to 70% off DVDs
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . DVD
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . BBFC Rating (intended_use_browse-bin) . 12
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Editions (feature_two_browse-bin) . Standard Edition
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Region(feature_browse-bin) . Region 2
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Release Date (feature_three_browse-bin) . 2000 and later
Video . DVD & VHS . Refinements . Language (theme_browse-bin) . English

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