The Film Ping Pong Playa - Essay Example

The language difference is soon highlighted as the doctor mispronounces the family’s last name which has to be corrected. In other instances, the film seems to parody the attitude that society is overly concerned with ethnicity. For instance, after the doctor tells the family’s mother that one can never be too careful driving, her friend becomes angered and accuses him of ‘straight up racialism’. While such a scene is humorous it underlines a pervasive sense of insecurity that Christopher Wang feels about his Asian roots. Indeed, it seems one of the film’s primary themes is Christopher’s resistance to his ethnicity for an almost hyper-American sensibility; this is a world where basketball is the only acceptable sport and his family’s chosen pursuit of ping pong is more of an embarrassment than a virtue. Other characters in the film express similar challenges.
For instance, Christopher’s love interest is writing a dissertation on the exoticization and objectification of Asian Americans. She rejects the Ms. Chinatown contest for this reason. Such stereotypes are exemplified in the clueless public school administrator who panders and condescends to both the Wang family and the Asian reporters covering the ping pong tournament. As the film advances it’s clear that Christopher is slowly coming to terms with his Chinese heritage. While he initially rejected ping pong he comes to accept it as one of his talents and embraces the notion of being a leader to the children in his group. Similarly, he chastises a reporter for the reporter’s ignorance of Chinese culture.

            There were several notable things I took away from the film. I believe the reason the film is so effective is that rather than attempting to convey a didactic message, it attempts to relay the genuine experience of Asian Americans, albeit in a highly humorous way. Even though the film may be targeted toward an Asian American audience, it’s clear that it has a highly enjoyable narrative. In a sense, I believe the fact this narrative can be extended to a variety of ethnicities parallels the film’s theme. In coming to accept his position in Western society, Christopher realizes that it’s possible to recognize one’s heritage while accepting the dynamic nature of the culture that we all share. Ultimately, Christopher’s emergence in his Houston Rocket jersey at the end of the film is the ultimate acceptance of this hybridity.