Review – The King of Kong

Subtitled “A Fistful of Quarters,” this picture tells the tale of the rivalry between the world’s two best Donkey Kong players. This would be yet another average documentary about people with obsessions except for one thing: it turns out to be a fascinating portrait of competitive spirit unfettered by normal human mores and social constraints. Professional athletes spend years learning to work with teammates, coaches, fans and the media. But not these guys. They hone their skills all by themselves, huddled over arcade machines in their garages. Given that few of them are real long on social skills to begin with, the vicious jealousies and petty intrigues of their “sport” float immediately to the surface. The result is a sad portrait of how weird we all could be if our lives consisted of trying to save princesses from barrel-tossing gorillas. Mildly amusing