Adam Kuhn & The Movies: The King of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters
Synopsis: A middle-school science teacher and a hot sauce mogul vie for the Guinness World Record on the arcade classic, Donkey Kong.
In 1982, LIFE Magazine assembled the worlds greatest gamers for a photo shoot that would become the center spread of their 1982 Year-In-Photos edition. Billy Mitchell, who would later be named the Gamer of the Century, was one of the invitees.
Mitchell, the World Record holder on Centipede, had been tracking the score on Donkey Kong, and knew he could take that title as well. In front of the 20 best gamers in the world, Billy scored 874,300 points, a record many thought would never be broken.
In 2003, 35 year old family man Steve Wiebe, after losing his job at Boeing, found solace in Donkey Kong. Steve stumbled upon Billy Mitchells record online, and set out to break it. He began perfecting his game every night after his wife and kids went to bed, and not only surpassed Billys record, but ended up with a thought-to-be-impossible 1,000,000 points.
A tidal wave of media coverage followed, and Steve Wiebe quickly became a celebrity in his hometown of Seattle, WA. He also rediscovered his love for teaching, and regained the respect of all who once doubted him. Meanwhile, back in Hollywood, FL, Billy Mitchell hatched a plan to reclaim his fallen Donkey Kong record
In the months that followed, Steve and Billy engaged in a cross-country duel to see who could set the high score that would be included in the 2007 Guinness World Records book and become The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Along the way, both men learned valuable lessons about what it means to be a father, a husband, and a true champion discovering that you dont always need to win to be a winner.
My Verdict: This was a surprisingly good documentary. The film maker covers enough aspects of Steve Weibe’s life to easily allow you identify with him on some plane, whether it be with video games, his wife, his children, or his job situation.
I did not expect a whole lot from a film that explores the thrilling world of a 1970s video game relic, Donkey Kong. Apparently there is a large sub-culture for antique video gaming and Donkey Kong happens to be the cream-of-the-crop in this arena. The story winds its way through good times and bad, with a few surprises. Emotionally, you’ll quickly find yourself rooting for Steve. While it’s not an emotional roller coaster, you’ll certainly experience a few ups and downs.
This documentary has a great soundtrack! For entertainment, this will keep your interest peaked for a good 80 minutes, and it’s good all the way through the end, with the punch-line happening very late in the film.
My Beefs: Reading about the history of this clash a bit further, it seems that both parties weren’t necessarily represented in a true light. However, it is clear from their interactions in the film that the tensions were real and the taste of competition was bitter. The film is very focused, and in a sense it couldn’t be any other way, but I would have liked to have seen a wider focus on the antique gaming world. It’s mentioned a few times that these players have world record high scores outside the scope of Donkey Kong.
Kuhnometer: 8.0 / 11
Trailer:
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