The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

In a time when mockumentaries are popping up left and right (Christopher Guest films, either version of "The Office," "Reno 911!," the upcoming "Chalk") you could be forgiven for thinking that "The King of Kong" was yet another in a long line of these. The people in it are far too funny and painful to watch to be believable. The fact that it is all real is what makes "King of Kong" so mesmerizing.
In 1982 a young man named Billy Mitchell became the all-time record holder on what old school gamers consider to be the most difficult video game to master, "Donkey Kong." No one had gotten anywhere close to breaking this record for over two decades. That is until a man from Renton, Washington (hooray!) named Steve Wiebe (pronounced Wee-bee) decided to step up to the plate, or rather, the arcade machine.
Mitchell is a legend in the gaming community, and his army of cronies includes Walter Day, the founder of Twin Galaxies, which confirms and posts all video game records, and a protege by the name of Brian Kuh. Mitchell and his crew are wary of outsiders, so when Wiebe breaks Mitchell's record and submits the tape of him doing so (which includes his son shouting at him to "stop playing 'Donkey Kong' and clean my poopy!"), the Twin Galaxies people become suspicious. So suspicious that two of their members even wangled their way into Wiebe's house to the objection of his wife. After taking apart his machine they arbitrarily decide that Wiebe's record shouldn't count because it didn't occur live in an arcade. The rest of the film is about Wiebe's attempts to re-break Mitchell's record and Mitchell's devious attempts to keep it.
Director Seth Gordon clearly has chosen a side here and it's easy to see why. Wiebe is a good kind man who loves his wife and children. He's had a lot of hard luck in his life and we can see that his pursuit of the record has nothing to do with "Donkey Kong." He needs to prove to himself that he can be a winner, something that eluded him in high school sports. Mitchell is clearly the villain, embarrassing himself (as does his little flunky Kuh) repeatedly on camera. At first we laugh at his ridiculousness which finally gives way to genuine anger. This is an awful human being. This makes the already likable Wiebe that much easier to root for.
Characters this fascinating and well-rounded are hard to come by and I have a hard time believing they could have been invented so richly. It is often hilarious and occasionally heartbreaking. "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" is one of the best films I have seen all year and maybe the best documentary I've ever seen. It's in very limited release right now but if you can make it you will not be disappointed. It's playing in Seattle at the Varsity Theater. 10/10.
Here's the trailer for "King of Kong":