The Last Cup: Beer pong documentary hits “nothing but foam”
By Noah Davis • Nov 11th, 2009 • Category: beer events
By Sarah Whitmire
Sure, baseball may be the “official” American pastime, but when it comes to a sport that people actually play in their homes? That sport is beer pong.
“The Last Cup: Road to the World Series of Beer Pong” from director Dan Lindsay, follows four individuals into a realm of fierce competition and drinking (but mostly competition) at the 2007 World Series of Beer Pong. This isn’t your local frat house tournament; the die-hard pros practice beer pong full-time for the notoriety of being world champion and pocketing the $20,000 grand prize.
Beer pong, or Beirut as it is officially called, is a serious matter at this professional level. It is clear very quickly that it isn’t about the beer for these players; they passionately defend it saying, “It’s a sport. It just happens to involve alcohol.” Throughout the whole movie, not one mention was given to the type of beer in the cups, and per official World Series of Beer Pong rules, many of the cups contained water.
Endorsed by fellow beer pong aficionado Morgan Spurlock, the documentary begins in the homes of four very different Beirut players. The first is a loud-mouthed body-builder, another is an endearing Jonah Hill look-alike, the third is a computer programmer who creates statistical software to analyze his shot accuracy, and the last who calls himself “The Champ” and is known for challenging the public to play him one-on-one for a cash prize. “The Last Cup” gives you a look at how these professional beer pong player train, the culture behind the sport, and how they got so serious about a game with beer, cups, and ping-pong balls.
This film has all the makings of classic, motivational sports movie with smart, witty editing, and an added splash of drunken debauchery. While the top players purposefully pace themselves, they can’t all be winners, and the rest party accordingly. With this comic relief keeping things light, you find yourself getting swept up in the player’s stories all the way to the nail-biting conclusion that only a final, world-champion deciding match of beer pong could provide.
There are just a couple screenings left of this documentary; head to the movie’s Web site for info on where to catch it, how to host your own screening, or to pre-order a copy of the DVD that releases December 29, 2009.
– Sarah Whitmire is an editorial intern at DRAFTMag.com.
