The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters

Director: Seth Gordon
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 79 minutes
Trailer: Click here to view
Release Date: August 17, 2007 (limited release)
The Reel Man: 5 reels
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Long before learning how to carry numbers or diagram a sentence, I discovered what a perfect afternoon consisted of: a walk to the local 7-Eleven (back when its name reflected the hours it was open) for a Slurpee and arcade game. If you were good enough, a quarter could pay for the entire day-– well, except of course for that Slurpee. Pong was already a distant memory, and classics like Asteroids and Space Invaders were about to be supplanted by an angry simian at a construction site.
Simply put, The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters is a nostalgic documentary about an egotistical “celebrity” video gamer, Billy Mitchell, and the good-natured, everyman, Steve Wiebe, who threatens to break Mitchell’s record high score on Donkey Kong. Full of unexpected twists and gut-busting laughs, it is quite possibly the most enjoyable movie experience you are likely to have this year. It features a “cast” of characters, most of who convention-going Trekkers would be in their right to bully. However, the heart of this film is found in an unlikely hero we can all relate to.
35-year-old Wiebe is a family man who, after losing his job at Boeing, earned his masters degree to teach 7th/8th grade science. When he sets a new Donkey Kong record, Wiebe’s integrity is called into question due to his association with an old rival of Mitchell’s, gamer Roy Schildt, the self-proclaimed “Mr. Awesome.” Wiebe must try and prove himself by leaving the safety of his garage to play the game in public.
Mitchell, Wiebe’s nemesis, ranks among the most entertaining foes to ever grace the silver screen. The mullet, trimmed beard, patriotic ties and dark shades speak volumes about this Floridian restaurant owner and hot sauce manufacturer. Mitchell struts and primps his way through the film like a rooster in a hen house. Nothing is more important to him than retaining the title he won in 1982. At best, his tactics are insulting; at worst, they are downright dirty-handed.
The greatest triumph of King Of Kong is the way something as passive as a video game seems as dynamic as the World Cup. But what really pulls us in is the spirit and passion which these gamers exhibit. To his credit, Wiebe manages to escape being labeled pathetic, no small achievement given his commitment to an arcade game that most people quit playing decades ago.
On the downside, the nostalgic feeling the film delivers begs for a soundtrack featuring more than just a handful of tunes from the synthesized era that Donkey Kong was born in. Director Seth Gordon misses an opportunity to needle-drop Pac-man Fever by Buckner & Garcia, as we learn that Mitchell once played a perfect game of the hungry Japanese import. Of course, music rights are very expensive and so the absence of familiar songs is an understandable omission given the film's small budget. And on the plus side, it leaves room for Wiebe to provide a surprisingly listenable contribution on piano.

Bottom line: The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters is a cinematic ride that will tickle you out of your seat and leave you wanting to play Donkey Kong as much as you did in that 7-Eleven convenience store of yesteryear.