64
Metascore
10 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75New York PostV.A. MusettoNew York PostV.A. MusettoMovies don't come any more charming than Mongolian Ping Pong.
- 75Boston GlobeJanice PageBoston GlobeJanice PageIn Mongolian Ping Pong the point is to look under the majestic vistas and see value in ordinary things -- ping-pong balls included.
- 75Chicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonChicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonA tender, visually stunning comedy-drama.
- 75Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill WhiteSeattle Post-IntelligencerBill WhiteTakes a humorously gentle approach to the culture clash between the primitive and the modern. With wonderfully natural performances by the children, this is a family movie that crosses cultural boundaries in a celebration of the magical possibilities inherent in everyday objects.
- 70Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonMuch more so than any movie actually about spiritual discipline, the new Chinese film Mongolian Ping Pong could be a meditational object-- if, perhaps, it wasn't a sneaky comedy and, to boot, one of the most breathtaking cinematic records of landscape and sky ever filmed.
- 70The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisAlthough its leisurely pace might be a bit tough going for restless Westerners, Mongolian Ping Pong is the kind of film that should rightly be seen by children, not just adventurous adults.
- 70Washington PostStephen HunterWashington PostStephen HunterThis is one of the most becalming films ever made. The grasslands seem oddly serene, and to watch them is to feel your pulse rate flatten out -- yet another aspect of Mongolian Ping Pong's transcendent charm.
- 60VarietyDerek ElleyVarietyDerek ElleyA charming but overextended yarn about some prairie tykes who mistake a table-tennis ball for a glowing pearl from the gods.
- 50Chicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumChicago ReaderJonathan RosenbaumThis sounds like a slender premise on which to hang a feature, but director Ning Hao is more interested in ethnography and landscapes than narrative and often holds our interest by concentrating on how folklore, technology--motorbikes, cars, trucks, films, TV--and imagination affect a nomadic way of life.
- 25San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleHao doesn't seem to have a point of view. Mongolian Ping-Pong is episodic and meandering, with several tedious stretches.