Rating: 3 / 10

Before I am assigned to review something, I try not to make any preconceived judgments before actually watching/reading/listening to whatever the subject is, no matter how ridiculous the concept.

At first, “Balls of Fury” immensely challenged that idea for me. However, I remembered movies like “Dodgeball” had a (why pull punches?) similarly stupid premise. I let my prior critiques slide and gave this movie a shot.

Unfortunately, “Balls of Fury” misses the mark thanks to an unfunny formulaic script and a cast of thinly fleshed out characters who have no chemistry.

Written and directed by Robert Ben Garant, who co-wrote it with Thomas Lennon, this comedy features the same creative force behind TV’s Reno 911.

The film stars Dan Fogler as fallen table tennis champion, Randy Daytona. Randy is pulled out of retirement by an FBI agent played by TV’s George Lopez. Randy is supposed to get into a secret tournament held by a crime lord named Feng, the man who murdered Randy’s father.

But first Randy needs training, so they go seek help from an old, blind Chinese man and his sexy niece. Randy and her fall in love of course, but their relationship is solely the result of him being the lead character and her being the best looking girl on the screen.

Then there is the villain Feng, played by Christopher Walken. Now, before Walken is revealed, the movie tries to create an air of mystery by not showing his face or letting him speak. But the joke is pretty much dead on arrival for anyone who has seen the trailer, a TV commercial or the movie poster.

Sadly, not much else is really done with Walken’s character other than dressing him in silly costumes and having him talk in his well-known, mannered dialect. Most people who see this movie are probably going solely for Walken, but even they will probably be disappointed in his weak performance.

For most of the film, Walken seems to be just going through the motions rather than subverting them.

“Balls of Fury” is not an offensively bad movie; there are a few chuckles scattered here and there. A parody film like this should have a giddy sense of irreverence, which is just not there.

The film takes dramatic moments too seriously, especially the love story
between Randy and his master’s niece.

“Balls of Fury” may briefly entertain some, but is ultimately a pointless endeavor.

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