The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Picturehouse Entertainment | Release Date: August 17, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
83
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
22
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Village VoiceRobert Wilonsky
It's all true--every magical, exhilarating, infuriating, dumbfounding, jaw-dropping second of Gordon's miniature masterpiece. Read full review
100
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
A funny and madly arresting new documentary. Read full review
100
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
It’s not just one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen, it’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. Period. Read full review
100
Chicago TribuneScott Schueller
Gordon's documentary proves better than 90 percent of the manufactured stories out this summer. One can breathe a sigh of relief that it was done right and not cobbled into another bad fictional comedy. Read full review
91
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
This film about fierce competition among classic video-game players is a comic action epic in documentary form. It captures fear -- and heroism -- in a handful of dusty video games. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Gordon's feature directorial debut mostly stops being about video-game obsession and turns into a film about what it takes to make it in America. Read full review
90
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
Very entertaining (and doesn’t overstay its welcome) but it’s a little depressing to contemplate. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
A portrait of two different men whose compulsion for Donkey Kong is hilarious. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Like "Air Guitar Nation," the stranger-than-fiction cast of characters is fascinating, and their high-stakes machinations are nothing short of mind-boggling. Read full review
88
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Heartbreaking and hilarious. Read full review
88
PremiereEric Alt
If you don't play at all, you may find yourself enjoying this film more than anyone, because you'll at least get all the laughs with none of the cringing self-recognition. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
One of this year's funniest movies -- and its most inspirational sports drama -- is a documentary. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyLuke Y. Thompson
It may seem overblown when one of the gamers calls Donkey Kong a metaphor for life, but The King of Kong is just that -- a reminder of how we all have to prove ourselves to others, and the extent to which the odds are often stacked against outsiders and newcomers. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Ultimately Gordon's movie becomes both a hilarious story about an unbelievable collection of arrested-teenage morons and, yes, an inspiring fable of persistence and redemption. I haven't mentioned this movie's fabulous addition to the English language yet, so here it is: the verb "to chumpatize." Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Obsession creates its own fascination, and never more so than in King of Kong, a sprightly new documentary that's as compulsively watchable as the vintage video game it focuses on is addictive. Read full review
80
The New York TimesMatt Zoller Seitz
The movie’s “Rocky” formula proves irresistible anyway; unsurprisingly, New Line has commissioned Mr. Gordon to remake this story with actors. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Pure, goofy fun. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
As impressive as it is geeky. Most of the principal characters look like they haven't seen daylight since "Pac-Man Fever" was on the charts. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
A nuanced study in obsession, dedication, manipulation, ethics and how the all-American need to be the best at something -- anything -- can shape a life. Read full review
75
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Who would have guessed that a documentary about gamers obsessed with scoring a world record at Donkey Kong would not only be roaringly funny but serve as a metaphor for the decline of Western civilization? Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
Not since "300" have I seen such manly mano-a-mano-ing as the iron clash of wills in the docu mentary King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A documentary that is beyond strange, follows two arch-enemies in their grim, long-term rivalry, which involves way more time than any human lifetime should devote to Donkey Kong. Read full review
40
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
It's a depressing little kingdom, even when Gordon tries desperately to goose the drama with the requisite "Eye of the Tiger" riffs and some junior high-level palace intrigue. Read full review
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