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:

Don't get chumpatized.

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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

While the movie claims that Billy Mitchell held the Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Junior records since 1982 before Steve Wiebe came along, there were numerous scores higher than Mitchell's validated by Twin Galaxies in the early 1980s that went missing during Mitchell's time as a scoreboard editor. His 1982 Donkey Kong score was also beaten in 2000 by Tim Sczerby, who's name is omitted from the film but seen on a computer screen for a moment when Walter Day is entering Mitchell's taped score.

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Goofs

When Billy Mitchell is describing an analogy of top WWI fighter aces, he claims the top French ace shot down 24 enemy planes. In reality the top French pilot (René Fonck) shot down 75 enemy planes, He also claims the Red Baron shot down 87 enemy planes, when he only had 80 confirmed kills.

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Quotes

Brian Kuh: You know, he's gonna have to play it perfectly, he's at the hardest part of Donkey Kong, and it's not gonna get any easier. So we may have an exciting moment here, or you know, the pressure may get to him, one of those random elements might happen. Sounds like he just cleared another board, but we could have a wild barrel, or some aggressive fireballs. I thought I was gonna be the first FunSpot kill screen, and then I had three fireballs trap me, I had the hammer in my hand, they still got me. ...

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Connections

References The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992)

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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

steve is my hero

This is an incredible documentary, and as with most great documentaries the story arises as the filming happens; it is not preconceived. The film starts out as a story about a battle between two gamers who each want to hold the donkey kong high score records, but what it turns into is a story about man vs. the empire(and not in a star wars sense). It is a story about how who you know is always everything and how much harder an everyman must work to make it in a world of networks. The story of these people, especially steve's, are really inspiring and you find yourself feeling all of the twists and turns of the film along with the characters. A truly wonderful film about human beings not just donkey kong.

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