Rad is a 13-year-old boy. He is obsessed with ping pong and hip hop. He goes on a summer vacation to Ocean City with his family every year. Maryland is a new best friend and also is his first real crush. She becomes the target of a rich man and he finds an unexpected mentor in his outcast next-door neighbor.
While there are substantial shortcomings to the picture, it knows how to have a good time, playing with teen cinema conventions as it checks off its laundry list of references and sense memories.
While "Ping Pong Summer" does aggressively pander to viewers' nostalgia (dig that Nike track suit, and Run-D.M.C. cassette tape!), it's also warmer and funnier than its worst jokes.
