The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
 
See larger image
 
Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
or
Amazon Prime Free Trial required. Sign up when you check out. Learn More

Watch it Instantly
Includes the Amazon Instant Video 48 hour rental at no extra charge. (Learn more)
Buy Used
Used - Like New See details
$4.41 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
or
Get up to a $1.90 Amazon gift card

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2011)

Billy Mitchell , Steve Wiebe , Seth Gordon  |  PG-13 |  DVD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (119 customer reviews)

Price: $5.98 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
  Special Offers Available
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it delivered Monday, January 30? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
Watch Instantly with Rent Buy
King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters   $2.99 $4.99

Other Formats & Versions

Amazon Price New from Used from
DVD 1-Disc Version $5.98  
 
 
Buy This DVD and Watch it Instantly
Watch the Amazon Instant Video rental on your PC, Mac, compatible TV or compatible device at no charge when you buy this DVD from Amazon.com. Your rental will expire 2 days after you begin watching or 30 days after your disc purchase, whichever occurs first. The Amazon Instant Video version will be available in Your Video Library and is provided as a gift with disc purchase. Available to US customers only. See Terms and Conditions.
 
 
Trade In This Movies & TV Item for $1.90
Trade in The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters for a $1.90 Amazon.com Gift Card that can be redeemed for millions of items store wide. See more Movies & TV eligible for trade-in

Check Out Related Media



Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this DVD with Man on Wire $14.49

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters + Man on Wire
  • This item: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Man on Wire

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Product Details

  • Actors: Billy Mitchell, Steve Wiebe
  • Directors: Seth Gordon
  • Format: AC-3, Dolby, Subtitled, Anamorphic
  • Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
  • Studio: New Line Home Video
  • DVD Release Date: January 29, 2008
  • Run Time: 79 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (119 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000XQ4HR8
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,659 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • For more information about "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Special Features

  • Commentary by director Seth Gordon, producer Ed Cunningham, and associate producers J. Clay Tweed and Luis Lopez
  • Commentary by Chris Carle (Entertainment Editorial Director, IGN) and Jon M. Gibson (Founder, I am 8-bit)
  • Extended interviews
  • Animated short: "A Really, Really Brief History of Donkey Kong"
  • Arcade glossary
  • I am 8-bit music and art gallery
  • Theatrical trailer

Editorial Reviews

KING OF KONG:FISTFUL OF QUARTERS - DVD Movie

 

Customer Reviews

119 Reviews
5 star:
 (79)
4 star:
 (31)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (119 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun for gamers And Non-Gamers Alike, February 15, 2008
By 
J. Fuchs "jax76" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (DVD)
I stuck this movie into the DVD player thinking I'd watch 15 minutes or so and then go make dinner. Before I knew it, the end titles were coming up. This movie starts out slowly and you think it's going to be for hard-core gamers only and then it just sucks you in.

The first time you see Billy Mitchell on screen, standing in front of a copy machine wearing a button up shirt and tie, hair unfashionably long and blunt cut, with facial hair right out of the 70s, your first thought is "loser." Some of this comes from the popular image of people who are hard-core game players as not having real lives. It comes a surprise, therefore, to find out that not only is Mitchell a world champion video gamer, he is an exceptionally successful business person who is married and has children. Nevertheless, this doesn't stop him from coming across as a world-class jerk. While this is no doubt due somewhat to editing, no one put words into Mitchell's mouth and after a while you'll want to roll your eyes at his pompous pontificating. Still, he's the rock star of video gamers and the world-record holder in Donkey Kong, and even if you think that people who spend that much time going after such a seemingly useless world record need to get a life, you can't argue with the fact that Billy Mitchell certainly seems to have one, even if you'd never want to be part of it.

Steve Wiebe, on the other hand, is one of those guys you'd love to have as your best friend. Just as no amount of editing could make Billy Mitchell into the jerk he obviously is, no amount of editing in a picture this long could make Steve Wiebe out to be such a good guy if he weren't genuinely good natured. Even when the video gaming world seems to be conspiring against him to make sure that Billy Mitchell stays on top, Wiebe has a smile on his face. He's smart, good-looking, talented, and also married and a father. And such a sap that times, you just want to slap him for putting up with everything with such good grace.

The movie is about Wiebe's attempt to break Mitchell's long-standing world record for the highest ever Donkey Kong score. Those of us old enough to have played the game back in its heyday will remember how fun it was as well as its sheer impossibility. But even if you never played, or if that funny looking little guy dodging fireballs and falling barrels while trying hopelessly to rescue the girl never appealed to you, chances are you'll find this movie delightful. Because this movie is not about a video game, it's about what drives us to keep going in the face of the odds. The filmmakers do a great job of eliciting from the participants, particularly Wiebe, the reasons for their attraction to the game and the pursuit of the all time high score. Actual gameplay is kept to a minimum, which is frustrating for those of us who really liked the game, but what keeps it interesting even for people who've never held a joystick. Even if you think such a pursuit is really stupid, you'll probably find yourself torn when Steve Wiebe has to choose between breaking the world record and wiping his young son's bottom. You really end up rooting for him.

The supporting players are almost as entertaining as Wiebe and Mitchell, especially Walter Day, the folksinging, meditating, self-appointed guru of the gaming world, who seems to be going out of his way to keep Billy Mitchell on top. Seriously, you couldn't invent this guy.

Seth Gordon, the director of this film, worked on the movie New York Doll, and he seems to have picked up some of that film's ability to transcend the subject matter and keep us interested in people who might not otherwise seem like anyone we'd want to watch for a couple of hours. That Gordon can make Donkey Kong into a metaphor for life, and an entertaining one at that, is no mean accomplishment. I loved this movie.


Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Video Game Rivalry as Both Character Drama and Quirky Amusement., February 2, 2008
This review is from: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (DVD)
"The King of Kong" follows the 2004-2006 rivalry and resulting controversy for the title of Donkey Kong Champion between longtime record holder and Gamer of the Century Billy Mitchell and challenger Steve Wiebe. Wiebe is cast in the role of heroic underdog, a junior high school science teacher from Washington state who has chosen Donkey Kong as the vehicle of his success after a series of disappointments in other fields. When Wiebe's videotaped record-breaking game is rejected by Twin Galaxies, the regulatory organization for classic arcade records, Steve is forced to try to break the record live, with referee Walter Day as a witness. Meanwhile, defending champion Billy Mitchell, a hot sauce mogul from Florida, avoids the challenge of his rival for fear of losing his title.

I didn't realize that the interest in retro arcade games is still so intense, as I haven't seen hide nor hair of one of these machines since the 1980s. Director Seth Gordon has fashioned a story from a competition that takes place in front of video game screens by focusing on the characters and the controversy. He digs into Steve Wiebe's past to find motivation, accurate or not, for his obsessive pursuit of the Donkey Kong title. Billy Mitchell is portrayed as a egomaniac who tries to manipulate Twin Galaxies' acceptance of challengers' scores. His fear of defeat after 20 years on top is understandable, even if his actions are not admirable. I have no interest in video games, but "The King of Kong" is a character drama that is at once compelling and curious.

The DVD (New Line 2008): Bonus features include 10 bonus scenes, 11 extended interviews, a DVD-ROM (Windows only), a theatrical trailer (2 min), a Glossary of 12 arcade terms, 2 feature commentaries, and: "The Saga Continues" updates us on the rivalry for the Donkey Kong title since 2006. "A Really, Really Brief History of Donkey Kong" (1 min) is a fast-talking animated history of the game. "I am 8-bit" is a gallery of 18 frames of a group art project, with music, inspired by classic arcade games. Subtitles for the film are available in English and Spanish.

The first feature commentary is by the filmmakers. Director Seth Gordon, producer Ed Cunningham, and associate producer Clay Tweel tell us how they discovered the story, how different parts of the film were conceived, and provide additional history of the people and relationships in the film. The second feature commentary is by Chris Carlyle, entertainment editorial director for IGN, and Jon M. Gibson, founder of "i am 8-bit". This is a conversational, often joking commentary about the people in the film. I'd skip it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Battle of All Time, December 6, 2007
By 
GK128 (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (DVD)
Okay, well maybe not the greatest battle of all time, but a damn entertaining one.

"The King of Kong" is an excellent documentary that looks at classic gaming. It features many of gamings greatest records holders such as Todd Rogers, Billy Mitchell, and controversial "Missile Command" record holder "Mr. Awesome" himself, Roy Shildt.

If you have an interest in classic gaming you should see this movie. Even if you don't have an interest in classic gaming you should still see this movie. It is entertaining and funny throughout.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(14)
(14)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
CHASING GHOSTS 3 Sep 24, 2010
Which DVD case do you get? 4 Aug 13, 2009
When does this come out on DVD? 1 Aug 13, 2009
See all 3 discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
   
Related forums



Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Movies & TV by subject:








i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...