The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

I had thoroughly enjoyed this film some years back and suddenly realized it was perfect to show my 9-year-old who is both obsessed with video games and pinball, as well as really into stories about competition like Akela and the Bee. The story takes an inside look into Donkey Kong competition world (circa 2004), at which time a new upstart, Steve Wiebe, is about to shake things up, and becomes champion against all odds. The thing is, he is going against the current, arrogant champion, Billy Mitchell who has been resting on his laurels for 20 years, and the video game establishment supports Billy at Steve's expense through most of the film. By being sincere and persistent, Steve is able both to create a new record, and to win over those who had been against him, through the sheer power of persistence and by being a nice guy, no matter what. Great storytelling that brings both laughter and tears (who would have thought, from a movie about video games?) Sometimes it is easy to forget this is a documentary, as the characters could have been out of "central casting," and it is completely engaging. You should know that the PG-13 rating is ridiculous, and is only based on some cussing and a few shots of racy (but tame) photos.