One of the great documentaries of the 2000s, one that found a tremendously intriguing story in a weird, insular American subculture (15th anniversary)

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 26, 2022

It's a credit to Gordon as director that he allows the full spectrum of emotions to come alive onscreen here.

| Original Score: 3.0/4.0 | Sep 13, 2020

Feels more like a Christopher Guest fake-documentary than a real live true story... What makes the film so intriguing is the whole "no way this could be real" factor.

| Original Score: A- | Oct 29, 2019

A hilarious case study in humanity that is both sad and uplifting.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jul 6, 2019

Seth Gordon, the director, makes the material accessible and entertaining... [Full review in Spanish]

| Jan 12, 2018

The most absurd, joyous, and mesmerizing documentary of the 21st century.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Apr 14, 2016

| Original Score: 5/5 | Nov 18, 2011

| Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 17, 2011

Amusing documentary duel at the video arcade.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 15, 2010

Seth Gordon's unexpectedly engrossing documentary about the quest for a "Donkey Kong" record - a seeming paradise only for the pale and pasty -offered a fascinating, infuriating look at the bleakly funny morass of American social expectations.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Sep 23, 2010

Even if you've never so much as eaten a single ghost in a game of Ms. Pac-Man, King of Kong is still a remarkable (and remarkably hilarious) film.

| Original Score: 9/10 | Jun 9, 2010

every bit as exciting as any sports %uFB01lm, while also shedding light on how obsessions can combine with corrupt power structures to drive otherwise normal people to ridiculous ends.

| Jul 30, 2008

It's clear that director Seth Gordon is rooting for Wiebe - but it is not just a trick of the editing that means within 30 minutes of the political machinations of Kong beginning, you will be too.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 13, 2008

A great little documentary, full of laughs, drama and tension. It's like Rocky, but with a joystick. And an opponent who isn't actually seen stepping into the ring.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jun 6, 2008

You could hardly call it a paragon of impartial filmmaking, but this is still a compelling and immersive glance into the nature of competitiveness and the corrupting aspects of fame.

| Original Score: 4/6 | Jun 5, 2008

An engrossing story that plucks at the heartstrings just as hard as it pummels the fire buttons.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 5, 2008

Gordon invites us to snicker at his cast of hardcore gamers, for whom 'Donkey Kong' tournaments are as vital as Super Bowls and as divisive as the war on abortion. But once embedded in their strange world, he finds a compelling story to tell.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Apr 10, 2008

If it weren't for swirling currents of humanity, the film would bore me Gongless. But it turns out to be character thriller with a big finish.

| Feb 22, 2008

Unquestionably the most engaging and flat-out entertaining documentary since Murderball...

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Jan 31, 2008

You could say it's sort of like Murderball, only these guys' disabilities are of the social variety. At any rate, it's a great film

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Dec 18, 2007