Home > The M.O. > Archives > 2007 > August > 20 > Entry
At the movies: ‘The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters’
Fortunately, the film was released over the weekend at a few cities around the country, and, naturally, Austin was one of said cities, thanks to our love of indie film, the strong film community here, Matt Dentler and Co. and the Alamo Drafthouse.
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the documentary about obsessive video gamers is the best movie I have seen all year. Regardless of whether you enjoy classic video games, which I do not particularly, you will be amazed at the compelling human drama staged by two competitors, Steve Wiebe and Billy Miller, as they compete for the world record in Donkey Kong.
Early in the movie I feared that the filmmakers would take the easy way out and take yet cheap shots at it subjects, adding to the list of myriad documentaries that work only to make us laugh at its subjects. I was relieved to realize that this certainly was not the case in the hilarious and touching movie from director Seth Gordon (cinematographer of the award-winning doc about the Dixie Chicks, ‘Shut Up and Sing’).
Without giving away too much of the film, I will say that the film tells the story of two men who have taken very different routes to their place in arcade lore. Wiebe’s is a touching story of a gifted young athlete and musician who seemed to always come up short in his attempts to reach the pinnacle of his chosen fields of endeavor. A committed family man, Wiebe decided to make one last stab at glory after losing his job. Combining a desire to be the best with an understanding of strategy and mathematics, Wiebe attempted to take down one of the most untouchable records in all of arcade history.
The man holding that record, Miller, is a feather-haired wing sauce impresario who has made a name for himself in the gaming world for over 25 years as being one of the most respected and feared competitors of all time. He is the Bobby Fischer of arcade games, minus the social awkwardness, hermetic lifestyle and anti-Semitism. Miller goes so far as to compare himself to the Red Baron, but stops short of making the correlation between his omnipotence and God’s.
Using archived footage of the two men, as well as interviews with Wiebe’s family and friends, and Miller’s allies and idolaters, Gordon truly paints a story of good vs. evil, as one man deviously and maniacally attempts to maintain a veneer of greatness while another humbly searches for his life’s crowning achievement, a moment of redemption for all of the times in his life where he came up just short. In a great thematic nod to the ’80s, Gordon even utilizes classic songs from ‘Rocky’ and ‘The Karate Kid’ in the score to heighten the drama without seeming flip.
It is a story that has to be seen to be believed. Here’s hoping that Ben Stiller does not buy the movie and cast himself in the role of Miller. As the old saying goes: Sometimes fact is stranger (and funnier and more heartbreaking) than fiction.
[Official site for ‘The King of Kong’]
[Showtimes]
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