The King of Kong:
A Fistful of Quarters
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour, 19 minutes
Directed by: Seth Gordon
Starring: Billy Mitchell, Steve Wiebe, Walter Day
You don’t have to love videogames, documentaries, or absolutely bizzare competition and cult-like followings to love The King of Kong (although it helps). The story of two men going for the world record high score in Donkey Kong is a fascinating and hilarious look at a microcosm of society and the hypocrisy of clubs who claim to support the purity of competition when really they just love their club.
Steve Wiebe is a lovable loser. After being laid off from his job, he decided to take up the arcade game of Donkey Kong and attempt to get the game’s highest score, a feat that’s never even been approached since the film’s other protagonist, Billy Mitchell, set the record in 1982. King of Kong makes for a great case study in whether or not documentaries actually document the truth or rather craft characters to fit a story. But to wonder if Wiebe is as big an underdog and Mitchell as big a villain as the film portrays them is to wander down an endless pit of “What ifs?” We simply have to take director Seth Gordon at his word. And it’s a pretty entertaining word so I’d listen up.
Many have claimed that Mitchell is the film’s villain as his hypocrisy and arrogance grows throughout the film. But for me, the truly dispicable characters are the disciples of Mitchell and the ones that betray their own ethics as they constantly prevent Wiebe, the outsider, from being recognized for his true talent and perserverance. Whether they’re checking his machine's motherboard, allowing a videotaped application from Mitchell, or just trying to psych out Wiebe, this group of miscreants would be completley hateful if they weren’t so pathetic.
The King of Kong could be called a mockumentary but not everyone is getting mocked. It’s more in the vein of a show like The Office if The Office was real. It’s hilarious but also fascinating, heartwarming, and by far one of the year’s most enjoyable films.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
8.28.07