Polite Fiction

A fistful of Quarters

My wife and I just finished watching what I initially thought was a mocumentary but in reality…a real documentary. This film chronicled the journey of a middle school science teacher on his quest to defeat a 20 year Donkey Kong record…yes, I said Donkey Kong. When I heard the name of the film and watched the trailer I was hesitant about shelling out the $3.99 to rent this movie. I had an itch to watch Napoleon Dynamite again but my wife insisted that this movie was worth it.

I was surprised to see a 97% Fresh rating for this film on Rotten Tomatoes so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check it out…boy was I glad I did. Although this film slyly made fun of an entire sub culture it also added a human element to it as well. It gave me a glimpse into the fierce and often devious world of classic video game competition.

I won’t go into too much detail and spoil it for you but I have to INSIST that anyone who reads this post must watch this film. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you wish you were the world record holder of something. This film delivers on so many levels. It has a great soundtrack (all 80’s music), wonderful editing, relatable characters, and a great sense of humor. Check out the trailer below (although the trailer fails to impart the true depth of the film).