Worth the quarters

Steve Wiebe is not a winner. It seems like he's never good enough at anything in life he tries -- whether it's music, sports or his job at Boeing. Billy Mitchell, on the other hand, can never win enough. After setting the world-record Donkey Kong score in 1982, he secured his name as a legend. And now Steve Wiebe wants to beat the undeniable hero of the video-game world at his own game; he wants to beat Mitchell's all-time highest Donkey Kong score.\nThe new film by Seth Gordon documents Wiebe's heroic attempt to beat the unbeatable. The film fascinatingly combines real-life obsessive gamers with seemingly fictitious drama, including the classic good vs. evil showdown between Steve and Billy. Steve and Billy's obsession transfers seamlessly from screen to audience. Gordon's framework of thorough introduction into both men's lives allows us to understand their differing reasons for wanting to be the best. What may have been alien to us before entering the film quickly begins to feel familiar. \nIt also, surprisingly, has multiple moments of pure hilarity. One such line comes from Wiebe's young daughter Jillian, when she looks at him and says, "I never knew that the Guinness World Record Book was so important. Some people ruin their lives to be in there." \nThis ends up being one of the wisest statements made about Wiebe's attempt to beat Mitchell, as viewers are completely involved in this somewhat far-fetched goal, rooting for him every step of the way. \nThe intensity with which Wiebe, Mitchell, Brian Kuh and gaming company Twin Galaxies referee Walter Day immerse themselves in gaming is fascinating to all who watch. Even nongamers feel as if, for 90 minutes at least, they could be the biggest gaming geek in the world. \n"The King of Kong" isn't just a documentary about gamers; it's a moving, heroic tale about ethics that grabs hold of audiences from the opening testimony to the last shot. If you ask me, it's well worth the quarters.