I love documentaries about weird or quirky things. I loved Errol Morris’ Gates of Heaven about
pet cemeteries and I loved Up For Grabs about the dispute over Barry Bonds’
73rd home run ball. Who doesn’t love
Trekkies I and II? I even love pretend
documentaries like A Mighty Wind and Spinal Tap. So The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters was right up my
alley. The movie shows the battle
between two grown men (with, semi-surprisingly, wives and children) for
supremacy of score on a video game that’s over 25 years old: Donkey Kong.
In this corner, Gamer of the Century, world record holder at
one time or another of five internationally recognized high scores on some of
the world’s most well known video games, including Pac-Man and Donkey
Kong. His recognized Donkey Kong record
has stood for 25 years, Billllllllly Mmmmmmitchell!
And in this corner, a newcomer to the Donkey Kong universe
and father of two. A gifted athlete and
musician and a Jr. High science teacher, claiming to have beaten the all time
high score on Donkey Kong in his garage, Steeeeeeeve Weeeeeeeeeeibeeee!
Steve Weibe and Billy Mitchell share very little in common
save their savant-like talent for Donkey Kong.
Mitchell is the epitome of the irrationally arrogant geek. Though in his case, the arrogance might not be totally irrational. A legend in the arcade gaming community for
over 25 years, he is now a successful Florida
Weibe is intelligent and gifted, but has struggled to live
up to his potential, starting with a disappointing pitching performance in a
high school championship baseball game. Always a hard luck case, the day he
and his wife signed papers on their house, he was laid off from his job at
Boeing. Quiet and unassuming, his
failures have stuck with him and he’s looking for a chance at validation. He's a sensitive soul, and a friend says he's
seen Weibe cry more than any other guy he knows.
The battle begins when Weibe’s video tape of his record
breaking Donkey Kong score, which he mailed to the recognized arbiter of all
things classic arcade, Twin Galaxies, was called into question. Only a live score could be verified beyond a
shadow of a doubt, he was told, a rule that apparently only applies in certain
cases. Weibe travels to Funspot in New Jersey
I don’t want to give too much of the story away. I’ll tell you that Mitchell doesn’t show up
at Funspot, but a video tape of his apparent latest record-breaking game comes
out and is accepted as legit, even though Weibe’s tape was rejected. The Twin Galaxies crew and a lot of their
sycophantic disciples are a pretty protective bunch and Weibe is the outsider
trying to break into this strange world.
He’s treated shabbily by most of these snobby dorks at first (they
constantly mispronounce his name as weeb when it should be pronounced wee-bee),
but after he doggedly continues to travel to these events to prove his
legitimacy, even to Mitchell’s hometown, they come to respect him, and even
like him.
Really, this isn’t a movie about Donkey Kong. It’s about the drive to succeed and be
recognized for your accomplishments on their own merits (even if it’s something
as inconsequential as a video game) and not because of who you are or who you
know. Don’t get me wrong, the movie is
hilarious in its absurdity, but it works on a deeper level as well.
A good documentary should let its subjects tell the story by
showing them just as they are and not manipulate to affect the viewers
perspective. There were some moments
that seemed a little contrived, but on the whole I think they played it pretty
straight. Even if you’re not into video
games (or nerds) this is definitely worth the hour and twenty and is one of the
best movies of 2007.
