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

---

Plot Keywords:

world record | donkey kong | arcade | video game | tournament | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Sport

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for a brief sexual reference

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, Limited Release

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

In late 2017, it was discovered that all of Billy Mitchell's Donkey Kong records of over one million points were fraudulent. The video footage was made using the MAME emulator, which allows players to use save states.

---

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.

---

Quotes

Billy Mitchell: Well, maybe they'd like it if I lose. I gotta try losing sometime.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Video Craze (2013)

---

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

Great Documentary

I totally disagree with the characterization that Billy Mitchell is made the villain and Steve Weibe the heroic underdog. This film did a great job of just letting each person fill in the colors for themselves. At the end, when Billy Mitchell's finally turning hypocrisy inside out, there are a few shots inserted finally that show that the filmmakers notice what is going on, but that is the extent of it.

This is a great film. Like the film American Movie, it is a whirlwind in which the power and depth of the material is remarkable, and yet it is incredibly compelling to watch, start to finish.

Another important point is that the film is not only a great treatise on individual psychology and what our winning-obsessed culture has wrought, but a great meditation on how the various types are fostered by and then fuel their immediate relations.