'A King of Kong, A Fistful of Quarters' review

Everyone wants to feel that they're good at something. For most of us, this is a limited scope sort of thing but it is enough for us to build some healthy self-respect. Perhaps we best understand the expense reporting application so that others in our department at work regularly come to us for assistance. Perhaps our baking skills are excellent so that we can please others with our desserts. Perhaps we're handy with our hands in a way that we can assist others. In the overall scheme of things, these are probably not ways that will gain us celebrity status but can make us happy.

Some have skills that more easily shine on a larger scale. Sports skills, musical skills, comedic skills, acting skills and other entertainment related skills are the sort of thing that can get people to gush over you. Despite your feelings or understanding of your skills, others may encourage you to go 'pro'; that you're good enough to compete at a high level and become a star.

If you're good at playing old video games for high scores, there's an arena to compete in at a high level as well.

'A King of Kong, A Fistful of Quarters' is, at its heart, the story of two men competing for the world high score at Donkey Kong. Along the way, trusts are built and broken, shenanigans occur, blockades are built and beaten, there are failures and successes, laughter and tears.

The characters of both main competitors, Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe, are drawn well. While the concept of two grown men playing a decades old video game for the status of the high score may call to your mind William Shatner's 'Get a life!' expression from Saturday Night Live, the film makes it clear that both men do have a life outside playing this game. Both are married. Both have jobs. We regularly see the children of Mr. Wiebe. While seriously playing Donkey Kong may occasionally overwhelm their lives, it is not their lives. Some of the other individuals are less developed. As a result, many of them only get the opportunity to look a bit crazy.

Of course, film being film, things can be edited in order to make people look different than they are. Some of the extra footage addresses this concept. From the perspective of some of the main participants, they feel they were represented well. One of Billy's friends indicates that Billy is displeased with how he came across but also that he understands how some of the things he did cast him in a certain light.

Being a Big Geek, I found it easy to relate to these people. While I don't know any of them (I walked past Walter Day either in the year but that doesn't really count) I've know people like them. When people do some things that could be considered suspect, I can understand why they'd be defended. I'm not saying I would have done the same things but I understand.

I recommend this movie and the extras (I watched everything but the commentaries). If you're a Big Geek you REALLY need to watch this film. If not, I think it still has an interest due to the way that the story is told. If you're not a Geek, you may better under why we are like we are. At the very least, you might laugh and tell us to get a life. Which is fine.