The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
Average Rating: 8.1/10
Reviews Counted: 98
Fresh: 94 | Rotten: 4
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.
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Critic Reviews: 33
Fresh: 30 | Rotten: 3
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.
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Average Rating: 4.2/5
User Ratings: 28,142
Movie Info
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
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All Critics (99) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (94) | Rotten (4) | DVD (3)
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.
Top CriticIs 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.
A terrifically entertaining documentary about an unlikely subject.
Hilarious and eye-popping.
Wonderful, hilarious documentary.
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.
Amusing documentary duel at the video arcade.
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.
Even if you've never so much as eaten a single ghost in a game of Ms. Pac-Man, King of Kong is still a remarkable (and remarkably hilarious) film.
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.
An engrossing story that plucks at the heartstrings just as hard as it pummels the fire buttons.
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.
If it weren't for swirling currents of humanity, the film would bore me Gongless. But it turns out to be character thriller with a big finish.
Unquestionably the most engaging and flat-out entertaining documentary since Murderball...
an oddly entertaining and exciting documentary that at times looks like a mockumentary
You could say it's sort of like Murderball, only these guys' disabilities are of the social variety. At any rate, it's a great film
"When We Were Kings" for dorks.
As tremendous an act in empathy as anything Werner Herzog has ever committed to the documentary screen.
Benefits immeasurably from a cast of colorful supporting players, as well as a taut narrative that builds to a surprisingly tense climax.
The King of Kong is as winning, sweet, and occasionally disturbing a documentary about people for whom time has stopped somewhere around 1982 as you'd ever want to see.
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Movie: ID: 770669466 Title: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters Release Date: 2007-08-17 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 3 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- The King of Kong (UK)
