The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

Die-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.

Director:

Seth Gordon

Writer:

Seth Gordon

Stars:

Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell, Mark Alpiger

9 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Wiebe	...	Self - Donkey Kong Challenger
Mark Alpiger	...	Self
Adam Wood	...	Self
Walter Day	...	Self - World's Video Game Referee
Steve Sanders	...	Self - Author: Master's Guide to Donkey Kong
Steven Krogman	...	Self
Robert Mruczek	...	Self - Head Referee, Twin Galaxies
Doris Self	...	Self - Q*bert Contender
Todd Rogers	...	Self
Brian Kuh	...	Self - Donkey Kong Expert
Zack Hample	...	Self
Billy Mitchell	...	Self
Barbara Mitchell	...	Self
Jon Farley	...	Self
Nicole Wiebe	...	Self - Steve's Wife

Storyline

In the early 1980s, legendary Billy Mitchell set a Donkey Kong record that stood for almost 25 years. This documentary follows the assault on the record by Steve Wiebe, an earnest teacher from Washington who took up the game while unemployed. The top scores are monitored by a cadre of players and fans associated with Walter Day, an Iowan who runs Funspot, an annual tournament. Wiebe breaks Mitchell's record in public at Funspot, and Mitchell promptly mails a controversial video tape of himself setting a new record. So Wiebe travels to Florida hoping Mitchell will face him for the 2007 Guinness World Records. Will the mind-game-playing Mitchell engage; who will end up holding the record?

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Plot Keywords:

world record | donkey kong | arcade | piano | playing a video game | 

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Taglines:

In the cutthroat world of Donkey Kong, only one can rule.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a brief sexual reference

Did You Know?

Trivia

On March 5, 2010, Hank Chien became the new Donkey Kong world record holder, scoring 1,061,700 points.

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Goofs

In the scene in which Steve's son Derek is crying and shouting, the "Donkey Kong" sounds heard don't match the action shown on-screen.

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Quotes

Billy Mitchell: ...but competetive gaming, when you wanna attach your name to a world-record, when you want your name written into history, you have to pay the price!

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Connections

Features Q*bert (1982)

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Soundtracks

You're the Best
From the Motion Picture The Karate Kid (1984)
Written by Bill Conti & Allee Willis
Published by EMI Golden Torch Music Corp and EMI April Music Inc. (ASCAP)
Performed by Joe Esposito
Courtesy of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and Island Def Jam Music Group

User Reviews

Transcendent

KING OF KONG is one of the greatest movies I've seen in a while - not documentaries, movies. The film-making here is nothing short of extraordinary - building suspense, creating anticipation, and playing with the archetypes like the best Hollywood movies.

If you have ever played the original Donkey Kong arcade game, or on the original Nintendo, you have to see this movie. I have never beaten Level 3 on the third cycle - the spring on the elevator stage, if you know what I'm talking about, is going extremely fast. These guys get beyond 20 cycles.

I don't want to give anything away...I heard they are going to make this a feature movie with actors, but I think that eliminates the main draw of this concept - these guys are in their forties, in some freak cases have wives and children, and they play Donkey Kong with as much heart as Lance Armstrong rode bikes. They are some of the strongest characters I've seen in a movie since STAR WARS. To best summarize how enjoyable this movie is, after watching the DVD for the first time, I immediately restarted it from the beginning, and watched it again.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 2008 (Australia)

Also Known As:

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$51,493, 19 August 2007

Gross USA:

$677,914

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$790,128

Company Credits

Production Co:

LargeLab

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1