Fox // 1999 // 93 Minutes // Rated PG
Reviewed by Judge Patrick Naugle // September 7th, 2001
Every dog has its day!
Damn that little Taco Bell mutt. He seemed to show up on those TV commercials every 34 seconds. Because of him, we had talking stuffed Chihuahua dogs, little plastic dog toys plastered with that little pup's face, and a whole lot of natural gas from those scrumptious "chalupas." In the wake of that dog's success comes the new family movie Ping!. If you think that's exciting, just wait until you hear that Shirley Jones is in it! Is there anything that could be more exciting than THAT?!? How about Judge Reinhold and Clint Howard!!! Climaxing yet? If not, get ready to explode with pleasure when you hear that Mr. Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno, is also featured in Ping!!!!
Okay, I now give you permission to take a break from this review and smoke a well-deserved cigarette.
Now that I've successfully gotten you internally excited, it's time to get to the review of Ping! courtesy of Fox Home Entertainment!
For those of you yearning for a Home Alone movie featuring a dog, your day has arrived. Ping is a cute little dog that everyone mistakes for a rat and/or kitten. After running away from some big black dogs, Ping is caught by a muscle-headed dogcatcher (Ferrigno) and sent to the pound. Led off to his execution, Ping is rescued by the sweet natured grandmother named Ethel (Jones). Haley (Brooke Winn), Ethel's grandchild, just lost her parents six months ago to an accident, and Ethel thinks that a new kitty might cheer her up.
Arriving home with Ping, Ethel is bombarded by the media with questions about her taxes. Apparently, she owns a bunch of bakeries and has been doing some fidgeting on her tax papers by keeping much of her fortune stashed inside her house. A couple of IRS agents have also been bugging her (as well as comically bugging their eyes out every chance they get).
At the same time, Louie and Stu (Howard and Reinhold), a couple of bungling burglars, are planning to score big time by breaking into Ethel's place and cracking into her safe. Only one dog is smart enough to thwart their advances: the cute and lovable Ping! Yes, suddenly Ping! becomes a wacky comedy filled with all kinds of mishaps and accidents, such as a man getting bit in the testicles by a dog and another man's head being crushed by a bowling ball.
Will Ping be able to stop these two dastardly thieves from stealing Ethel's fortune? Or will it be curtains for the fun loving Ping?
As you can tell, the comedy bar has apparently been raised with the release of Ping!.
Quick! When I ask you for your comedy dream team, who comes to mind? Abbott and Costello? Laurel and Hardy? David Spade and Chris Farley? Or, maybe...juuuuuust maybe...Clint Howard and Judge Reinhold! If you're anything like me, you too are a bigwig fan of the comedic stylings of Howard and Reinhold.
Or, maybe not. Either way, they're the best things about Ping!, and that's not saying much. I wish I could tell you that Ping! is a really cute kids' movie. Or, at the very least that Ping! is a mindlessly enjoyable comedy. I honestly wish that I could tell you just one of these things. Unfortunately, I can't. Maybe I've grown cold and heartless, but a talking Chihuahua just doesn't tickle my funny bone the way it used to. (Oh wait, it never did. Never mind.) I am glad to see that Ping! does try and have a well meaning message for kids. Ping! lets us know that it's okay to be ourselves, that we shouldn't judge others, and to always think with your heart. I couldn't sugarcoat that any better if I were Strawberry Shortcake.
However, much of Ping! is harmless and mindless entertainment. I think that kids will get a kick out of Ping and his canine antics. If you and your family thrilled to the wondrous adventures of Home Along, you just may want to purchase your very own copy of Ping!. This is one of those movies that are very hard to review, for it's insubstantial fluff, and the filmmakers knew that from the very start. It's like attempting to sit down and critique an episode of Saved By The Bell. What would be the point? Everyone in the movie does his or her job, more or less. Shirley Jones's job is to act sweet and sassy. Howard and Reinhold are supposed to say stupid things and get thumped on the head by large, heavy objects. Ping is supposed to run around and act cute. I'm sure at the end of the shooting day, everyone was happy to be getting their paychecks and going home. Sadly, there was no paycheck for this reviewer when the credits rolled.
Ping! is presented in 1.33:1 standard full frame. I am not sure if Ping! was originally shot in widescreen or not, but in all honestly it doesn't make much difference to the viewing. The transfer is passable, with colors being usually bright and blacks mostly solid. There was some grain spotted in the picture and a slight bit of shimmer. Overall, this is standard stuff, a very mediocre transfer from Fox.
Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround in English. Much like video portion of this disc the audio was also less than stellar. Dialogue, effects, and music were mixed evenly, though fidelity was not very rich or textured. English subtitles are also included.
Ping! may look like it has a bunch of extra features, but it's all smoke and mirrors. These supplements are really pretty slim pickings. First up is a full frame theatrical trailer for Ping!, as well as bonus trailers for To Walk With Lions and the multiple award winner Mom's Outta Sight. Next up are some very brief cast and director biographies, as well as a pointless "photo gallery" featuring 12 stills from the movie. Finally, there is a "Ping" Chihuahua profile that gives you a few random facts about Chihuahuas. Collectively these features are about as exciting as sticking my face into cage full of rabid ferrets.
In case you haven't figured it out already, Ping! is exactly the sound and lasting effect this movie will make in the history of cinema.
I can only recommend Ping! to people with very small kids, or if you're an idiot. Personally, I found Ping! to be a very long hour and a half. Home Alone did it much better, and I found that movie to be only a notch above Ping!. With only mediocre sound and video presentations, Ping! isn't even worth a rental. Time for Fox to spay this puppy and just get it over with.
Bad doggy. Bad Ping!. Back to the dog pound with you!
Review content copyright © 2001 Patrick Naugle; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2012 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice
Video: 60
Audio: 65
Extras: 35
Acting: 63
Story: 57
Judgment: 51
Perp Profile
Studio: Fox
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround (English)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Release Year: 1999
MPAA Rating: Rated PG
Distinguishing Marks
* Theatrical Trailer
* Bonus Trailers
* Director and Cast Biographies
* Photo Gallery
* "Ping!" A Chihuahua Profile
Accomplices
* IMDb
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0228720/combined