The King of Kong is funny and compelling with more than a few poignant insights into human behavior. Director Seth Gordon presents the dueling King Kong players in all their obsessive complexity and with perfectly al dente observations.
The King of Kong is funny and compelling with more than a few poignant insights into human behavior. Director Seth Gordon presents the dueling King Kong players in all their obsessive complexity and with perfectly al dente observations.
Seth Gordon's documentary The King of Kong follows the exploits of the two best Donkey Kong players in America. Billy Mitchell has held the world record for the popular video game for over 20 years. The film covers his rise to prominence, and the circle of associates he keeps in the Twin Galaxies organization, which serves as the official referee and scorekeeper of the electronic gaming world; within the organization, Mitchell is highly revered for his prowess at a number of games. Eventually
Steve Wiebe, with time on his hands now that he finds himself without a job, decides to seriously hunker down and challenge Mitchell's record. Gordon gets close to both men, and shows how the passionate arcade subculture harbors very powerful feelings about both of them. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
Is there anything more tiresome than watching people play video games? Seth Gordon's documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters answers that question with a decisive yes: watching a movie about people playing video games.
Directed by Seth Gordon, the film illuminates and draws you into a subculture you never knew existed and makes you genuinely care about its characters.
Seth Gordon's unexpectedly engrossing documentary about the quest for a "Donkey Kong" record - a seeming paradise only for the pale and pasty -offered a fascinating, infuriating look at the bleakly funny morass of American social expectations.
every bit as exciting as any sports %uFB01lm, while also shedding light on how obsessions can combine with corrupt power structures to drive otherwise normal people to ridiculous ends.
It's clear that director Seth Gordon is rooting for Wiebe - but it is not just a trick of the editing that means within 30 minutes of the political machinations of Kong beginning, you will be too.
A great little documentary, full of laughs, drama and tension. It's like Rocky, but with a joystick. And an opponent who isn't actually seen stepping into the ring.
You could hardly call it a paragon of impartial filmmaking, but this is still a compelling and immersive glance into the nature of competitiveness and the corrupting aspects of fame.
Gordon invites us to snicker at his cast of hardcore gamers, for whom 'Donkey Kong' tournaments are as vital as Super Bowls and as divisive as the war on abortion. But once embedded in their strange world, he finds a compelling story to tell.
"Don't get chumpatized"Diehard video game fans compete to break World Records on classic arcade games.REVIEWThe King Of Kong is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. I might be a bit biased since I'm a long time video gamer but even a non- video gamer would find this one to be utterly
interesting.Steve Wiebe, a then unemployed schoolteacher, decides to try and break arcade ace Billy Mitchell's long-standing score at Donkey Kong. He does so and that begins his rocky road to getting a bunch of gaming nerds to recognize him for his efforts.It's amazing to see Billy Mitchell (who comes off as the Brad Pitt of video gaming) using his smarmy charm and stroke to control the nerds who kowtow him when it comes to his beloved Donkey Kong record. All Steve Wiebe wants is recognition for his prowess at Donkey Kong; he doesn't really want to join Walter Day and his merry nerds. However, we see Billy Mitchell (who doesn't play a single game in the film) continually belittle Wiebe, talk about how great he is and use BS tactics to keep Wiebe away from his record. The Twin Galaxy nerds want to accept Steve but they are so under Billy the Egotist's thumb that they can't lest they lose their biggest "star". It's sad to see people simply let one guy walk all over them and think they deserve to be respected.We see a group of people fighting over something so trivial as a video game score record and it's a shock. That something so insignificant is taken so seriously will surprise many people.This is one documentary worth seeing just to see some real hardcore video gamers trading barbs and talking big. These guys didn't stop after the filming. Billy, Steve and a few others are still trying to be The King Of Kong as we speak.
No quotes approved yet for The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
64%
——
97%
Top Critic
