Documentaries often have a stigma for being dry and boring. Although reality programs pass themselves off as a form of the documentary medium, they’re overly stylized, mostly scripted and forged to bring more entertainment value to the piece. Unfortunately, this often prevents people from giving docs a chance to open them up to worlds, often quirky, unbeknownst to them.
My personal favorite documentary is one that completely shatters these stereotypes of documentaries. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters peers into the world of competitive Donkey Kong. While the concept seems silly and does not seem like a compelling subject for a documentary - there is, after all, a whole world ripe with socially, politically, emotionally relevant topics waiting to be discovered - the characters and their interactions turn out to be absolutely riveting.
Billy Mitchell, hot sauce king of Florida, was the first-ever World Champion of Donkey Kong. He held onto that record for nearly two decades until Steve Wiebe entered the picture. Recently laid-off from his job, Wiebe decides to pass the time by trying to be the new top-score holder. He succeeds and submits his tape to Twin Galaxies, the #1 authority in video game records. Submitting a world record tape doesn't turn out to as easy as Steve expects it to be when two Billy Mitchell loyalists show up to Wiebe’s house and tear apart his machine to make sure there’s nothing suspect about it that would give him an unfair advantage.
Once Mitchell’s minions enter the Wiebe residence, it’s clear that The King of Kong isn’t another doc with facts and talking heads. The film establishes such a clear conflict with outrageous twists and turns between two well-defined characters and has a wide array of supporting characters that it's ripe for transition to narrative. In fact, when Picturehouse acquired the film at Slamdance two years ago, a narrative feature from New Line was part of that deal. Unfortunately, New Line has since folded and director Seth Gordon, who directed the doc, instead moved on to direct the ultimately forgettable Four Christmases.
Although the film is riveting as is, I can only imagine the brilliance a capable cast would bring to this story. And since I fancy myself an armchair casting director of sorts, here are your major players:
Greg Grunberg as Steve Wiebe: Early on in “Heroes,” the psychic policeman portrayed by Grunberg exhibits the precise kind of likeable schlub that is Wiebe. Grunberg has potential to be a good straight man in the comedy act, but if he needs to step up to get some yuks, the more recent episodes of “Heroes” have shown that that’s within his range. (Wait, “Heroes" isn’t supposed to be funny now? Oh..)
Will Arnett as Billy Mitchell: Although some may argue that Mitchell was portrayed unfairly in the film, that cockiness and arrogance he exudes in the film is part of what makes the film work so well. Arnett has played this character time and time again on “Arrested Development” and “30 Rock,” and while I don’t like to typecast people, I feel this role would fit him like a glove.
Robert Duvall as Walter Day: Duvall has had a knack for playing eccentric old farts recently. He was clearly the highlight of soccer comedy Kicking and Screaming and seemed equally cantankerous in Four Christmases. Although I don’t feel video game referee Walter Day is more a nice old man with eccentric behaviors, it would be a delight to see Duvall take this character and run with it straight off his rocker.
Plenty of actors fit the supporting characters perfectly, too. Kristen Wiig played an exaggerated version of Wiebe’s unsupportive wife in Walk Hard. Her parnter in said film, John C. Riley, has played many slovenly, middle-aged characters that think they’re larger-than-life exactly like Roy “Mr. Awesome” Shildt, longtime nemesis to Billy Mitchell and the Twin Galaxies syndicate. Bill Hader is great in any role and could add a lot to Mitchell’s lackey Steven Kuh, the up-and-coming gamer who longs to be the first to a Donkey Kong kill screen and to earn vindication in the gaming world.
Since it looks like this is a pipe dream for the moment, I encourage folks to check out King of Kong. The film gets so ridiculous and unbelievable it’s hard to believe it isn't fiction. But hopefully, someday, this story can be a playground for some of America’s top comic actors.
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