You’ve seen PING PONG SUMMER before, loads of times, but Michael Tully’s new 80’s coming-of-age teen comedy still has enough heart and talent to justify revisiting that skin-crawling period of adolescence we’ve all gone through.

Rad Miracle (yes, that’s his name) is a parachute pant wearing poster child for the mumbling, gawky, uncomfortable, low self-esteem weird kid that’s been portrayed by Anthony Michael Hall, Jon Cryer, Molly Ringwald, everyone in a John Hughes movie, Michael Cera, Jesse Eisenberg, the cast’s of REVENGE OF THE NERDS, DEAD POETS SOCIETY and STAND BY ME, Patrick Fugit, Aubrey Plaza, Lindsay Lohan, Ralph Macchio, Liam James (THE WAY, WAY BACK), etc. Played by newcomer Marcello Conte, Rad is a 13 year old obsessed with ping pong, hip-hop and creepy dance routines, three things that dominate his life-changing summer vacation to the hole that is Ocean City, Maryland.

He’s dragged to Ocean City by his quirky parents with hearts of gold, played by John Hannah (SPARTACUS, THE MUMMY) and Lea Thompson (BACK TO THE FUTURE, CAROLINE IN THE CITY). Lea Thompson’s inclusion is a knowing wink to audiences familiar with the genre that’s repeating itself like a broken record, as she now gets to play the Mom instead of the fly romantic lead. She also kind of does look like her future self in BACK TO THE FUTURE 2, which is kind of unsettling/depressing. Seeing John Hannah in anything but a toga and swearing after SPARTACUS is weird, but he proves to be a wonderful Dad. Throw in a bitchy and goth sister who hates everything in Michelle (Helena May Seabrook), and PING PONG SUMMER has the family portrait down.

Once at Ocean City, Rad meets Teddy Fryy (Myles Massey, pitch perfect and awesome), a hip-hop loving wannabe rapper who introduces Rad to Fun Hub, a arcade/mecca of “cool”, that of course has a ping pong table. It also has bullies, namely Lyle Ace (Joseph McCaughtry) and his goon sidekick Dale Lyons (Andy Riddle) who embraces the homosexual undertones inherent in such a one-sided relationship, and couldn’t be more over the top jerky if he tried.

It’s all groan worthy, but dammit if it all doesn’t work, like it’s worked so many times before. The awkward youth coming of age movie is cinema’s very own Ragnarok. It’s like an episode of one of those shows you’ll always put on when you scroll across it on the DVR, even if it’s a repeat.

Rad must beat Lyle at ping pong, while also winning over the girl, Stacy Summers (Emmi Shockley), alliteratively named so you know she’s hot (or an undercover superhero). Stacy used to date Lyle (obviously), and is never seen without her Funk Punch, a potentially drug-filled ICEE. Dark.

PING PONG SUMMER is peppered with a talented and fun cast (and boom boxes), in cameos or supporting roles. Judah Friedlander (30 ROCK) shows up as the convenient store clerk that teaches Rad how to properly fill an ICEE (fill it up to the top of the plastic, take a sip, fill it again, DUH). He does so not wearing a sarcastic hat, or any hat at all, a particularly jarring thing to behold. I kind of assumed Friedlander came out of the womb wearing a sardonic black hat. Amy Sedaris (STRANGERS WITH CANDY, RAISING HOPE) and Robert Longstreet show up as the crazy inappropriate Aunt and Uncle’s, because they have to.

Best of all is easily Susan Sarandon (THELMA & LOUISE, BULL DURHAM), who is essentially a female version of Mr. Mertle in SANDLOT. She lives next door to Rad’s family and is said to be evil/crazy. Anyone named Randi Jammer can’t possibly be scary. Instead, she turns out to be a former ping pong champion, which obviously comes in handy before the big match. Some of this might be considered spoilers, but the film writes itself, and shouldn’t come as any surprise.

But there’s a reason these movies keep coming out. They’re uncomfortable, almost painful to watch, but they make us look at our childhood differently, or help craft a revisionist history of what could’ve been. We all want to be the fish out of water loser turned winner of sporting events, babe’s hearts and our father’s respect, and PING PONG SUMMER is another successful recreation of that immortal wish fulfillment. It’s like a suicide soda of cliches, jam-packed with moments, plot points and indelible 80’s trademarks, but once blended into ICEE form, it can’t help but come out tasty, endearing, entertaining and an uplifting movie-going experience. I was surprised by how often I laughed out loud, or tittered awkwardly throughout, precisely because of all of these things.

PING PONG SUMMER is a great comfort movie. It’s a movie you’ve already seen, despite not having seen it.

Ping Pong Summer is out in theatres and VOD now. For more information, check out its website.

Maybe it’s telling off a bully or quitting your job but whatever your fantasy, there are plenty of movie moments that magically pinpoint something you wish you could pull off in real life. When I started compiling this list, I knew what I wanted on it but had a tough time figuring out exactly how to name it. There were a lot of other moments of cinematic comeuppance that came to mind but fell into other various categories like revenge or long diatribes. So here are a few of my favorite scenes that feature characters going off on screen.

 Honorable Mention: Shoot ‘Em Up – “One Inch”

This only has Honorable Mention status because it doesn’t really fit the bill for this list but is still a mega-wish fulfillment moment for me. Driving is usually one of the biggest stressors of my day and on more than a few occasions I’ve seriously pondered why the country’s murder rate isn’t higher. It’s infuriating dealing with selfish idiots on the road that can’t merge, cut people off and drive recklessly just because they want to get home in time to see Two and a Half Men (that’s still a thing right?). If everyone drove respectfully and obeyed the simple rules of the road then there would almost never be any traffic. Everyone always complains about traffic but we should really just be complaining about all these stupid people and figuring out what to do with them. Alright, I’m kidding (sort of) but that sort of thinking is exactly what makes this clip from the ridiculously fun movie Shoot ‘Em Up so grand. Clive Owen doesn’t really tell anyone off but he does fulfill one of those collective daydreams we have all had when encountering a shitty driver.

Good Will Hunting – “How do you like them apples?”

I was watching this movie a few weeks ago while preparing for an upcoming Boston road trip when I decided I wanted to write a list like this. The extremely watchable flick follows a working class gent from South Boston named Will Hunting (Matt Damon) as he struggles to accept his gift of profound intelligence. The ‘ordinary guy you never saw coming’ is usually a favorite among the list of movie comeuppance moments but this scene might just take the cake. After some Harvard douchebag totally tries to cockblock Ben Affleck, Will uses his knowledge of Economic theory to verbally demolish the collegiate turd stain. To get the full effect though, you have to watch the follow up. It’s the last little bit at the end of the night, when Hunting delivers the adorable “Apples” line that completely seals the deal.

Waiting… – “Poof! As if by some form of slut magic you’d appear.”

I stand by the fact that I think Waiting… is hilarious and very rewatchable no matter how much Dane Cook is in it. The movie does a solid job recreating what it’s like to work in the dysfunctional family environment that is the food service industry. During some downtime at work, ladykiller Monty (Ryan Reynolds) gets into it with fellow waitress and former girlfriend Serena (Anna Faris) about their previous relationship. Serena’s deconstruction of their less than noteworthy time together is one of the funniest, most brutal and thorough shut downs ever put to screen. A lot of credit goes to Faris here, whose delightful delivery makes the speech feel less premeditated than I’m sure it appeared on paper but Reynolds gets to say my favorite line (the title I used for this scene)

Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion – “And, Yeah!”

I doubt this movie ends up on a lot of people’s radar especially in the discussion of favorite films but for me, Romy & Michele came to me at an early age and quickly became one of my most quoted comedies. Much of the film deals with the social structure of high school and how cruel your peers can be. The title duo goes through great lengths to impressed their former classmates but realize late in the game that they shouldn’t really give a shit if people don’t like them or not. In the end, Romy delivers an impassioned statement to head bitch Christy Masters (Julia Campbell) that stands as one of my favorites.

The Social Network – “It’s raining.”

If you know anything about me you should know that I have an unabashed love for David Fincher and especially his 2010 film The Social Network. I’ve written about the film and this scene in particular at great length on other corners of the interwebs (you can read some here and here) but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for it here on this list.  During the midst of a lengthy legal deposition, the man at the center of the conflict, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, seems distracted. When questioned about his disinterest, Mark gives one of the most biting retorts ever constructed. Oh how I wish Aaron Sorkin could write me a few bites of dialogue every once in a while.

Role Models – “Congratulations, you’re stupid in three languages.”

Okay, so admittedly, Danny (Paul Rudd) is indeed a dick in this scene and for most of the movie for that matter. But I mean, come on, the lady could have just made him a large coffee. I know that Role Models tries to tell you to lighten up and not let life’s little annoyances get you worked up but I would love to just go off on a few people every once in a while in the same manner in which Danny does in the scene.

50/50 – “Exhibit WHORE!”

50/50 is a truly touching and funny movie loosely based on screenwriter Will Reiser’s own bout with cancer. In the movie, 27 year old Adam Lerner is diagnosed with schwannoma neurofibrosarcoma and is given a 50% chance of recovery. Through his ordeal, he looks to his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) and girlfriend Rachel (Bryce Dallas Howard) for most of his support. Kyle has never approved of Rachel so when he spots her kissing some ‘Jesus looking freak’ at an art gallery while Adam is laid up at home, he gleefully snaps a photo of the dirty deed. What follows is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking which is a great representation for the tone of the film.

American Beauty – “I’m just an ordinary guy with nothing to lose.”

Right at the top of my list of all-time favorite movies is Sam Mendes’ American Beauty. We follow Lester Burnham’s (a brilliant Kevin Spacey) splendid breakdown from Middle American slave to free spirited man as he completely revaluates and prioritizes his simple existence. In one of the best quitting your job scenes of all time, Lester sticks it hard to his corporate hell-hole job that is in the process of purging employees. His desperation translates in spades and makes you want to throw your fist in the air right along Burnham when his efforts pay off.

What are some of your biggest movie wish fulfillment moments? I’m sure that I have left off a ton of other great movie “tell-off” scenes so be sure to let me know some of your favorites in the comments.