Bon Voyage, Manuel

The documentary, directed by Seth Gordon, opened locally last week at Sunrise Cinemas Las Olas Riverfront. Mostly it follows Steve Wiebe, a middle school science teacher from Redmond, Washington, who's on his own quixotic mission to become the best Donkey Kong player in the world. It seems like a reasonable goal, until Mitchell shows up as the film's mulleted scoundrel, thwarting Wiebe's efforts at every turn. He appears to plot to undermine Wiebe's scores, evading every chance to play in public, even pitting a sweet old lady against his rival. Audiences hiss at Mitchell's seemingly unprovoked malice as passionately as they cheer for Wiebe's naive resolve.

"I had been ignoring this for months," he says. "I can be called a bad guy — so what? But it really bothers me emotionally to have my friends and family get portrayed in a negative light. I want to do this so people know the truth."

For the record, Wiebe and the filmmakers say the movie captures Mitchell authentically.

"The idea that we hate each other is crazy," Mitchell says of Wiebe. "If I operated the way the movie says I do, I'd feel like I always need a shower." — John Linn