The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Enough of those silly documentaries about Iraq and other such nonsense. The real drama resides at the arcade with the music from Karate Kid on the soundtrack.

This movie kept me smiling the entire time. The hero Steve Wiebe is so likable, the villain Billy Mitchell is so despicable, Mitchell's sycophants are fascinating, the suspense is maddening, the referee is hilarious. This movie has it all. My only complaint is that the 80 minutes go by too quickly. I could have watched at least 20 more minutes. I want to see at least one sequel to the saga. Wiebe vs. Mitchell for the Donkey Kong record will never get old.

Director Seth Gordon is developing a fictionalized film based on the documentary. I have a bad feeling that Ben Stiller might be cast as Billy Mitchell and play him completely over the top a la that dodgeball movie. I could live with Dennis Hopper as the referee though but would prefer not to.

Directed by Seth Gordon
2007
Times Square 25