Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story

I found that although "Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story" had some interesting moments, I never really got into this documentary. It could because they spent so much time focusing on an international Monopoly championship (so?) and didn't spend enough on the history of the game. Or perhaps it's because I never really loved Monopoly (I did like the film about Scrabble a lot more interesting) since so much of its outcome seems controlled by chance. All I know is that by the time the film was over, I felt completely neutral about it--not impressed nor did I dislike it. In many ways, it reminded me of boiled rice--filling but not particularly exciting on its own. Now I am NOT saying don't watch it--just saying my reaction was so ambivalent.

Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story (2010)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

For fans of Monopoly this documentary is going to be a must see while others will probably want to stay clear. At just 87-minutes this documentary pretty much goes through the entire history of the board game from its earliest versions and then tracks it's progress throughout the years to where it's finally at a point to where it's played in over one hundred countries and has pretty much taken over the mainstream and pop culture. The documentary not only covers the board games history but we get to learn about other things including the collectors, the various versions, different rule changes and there's even a large portion of the running time devoted to the various championships that take place each year throughout the world. Again, if you hate playing the game then it's doubtful you're going to enjoy this documentary, although I guess the history behind it might appeal somewhat to you. However, if you're a fan of the game and enjoy playing it I don't see how it would be possible for you not to fall for this film. Yes, there's no doubt that there are some flaws in the movie and the personal drama in the championship isn't nearly as intense as the "battles" in something like THE KING OF KONG but there's still plenty of great stuff here. Some of the most entertaining moments deal with the history of the game and how the original creator pretty much begged game companies to buy the product outright, which they refused and they ended up giving him royalties instead and this has made his family members filthy rich today. Other interesting topics include how the game started to pick up speed and go around the world as well as stories about it becoming popular in the media and on television shows and movies. The championship footage is also fairly interesting as we learn about the various rule changes and we get to hear from many of the people in the tournament as they talk about how they got interested in the game as well as things like their favorite game piece. UNDER THE BOARDWALK: THE MONOPOLY STORY is a fun way to spend 90-minutes and is worth watching for fans.

There aren't too many documentaries that your grandmother will enjoy as much as your eighteen year old brother, but this film is one of them. The entire film is a celebration of the game of Monopoly which so many people have happy memories of playing. The film moves quickly and the scenes of the Monopoly tournaments are fascinating. We are introduced early on, to some of the very quirky contestants of the tournaments and follow them as they progress to the finals. Along the way we learn a little of the history of the game and there are some great Pop Culture references to Monopoly as well. If this film comes to your area, see it.

If you are reading this review right now, you almost certainly have played a game of Monopoly in your lifetime, as the board game has become such an icon in and of itself. This fun little documentary gives some history of the game's origins and current status, while also showing the "competitive side" at the National Monopoly Championship.

Essentially, to put things into perspective, "Under the Boardwalk", is a carbon copy clone of the "King of Kong"-style documentary that attained so much success. It weaves the history of the object being documented with the competitiveness it was actually meant for.

In terms of the history portion, this doc knocks it out of the park. I mean, who can't spend a chunk of time in nostalgia for this game that we all (or seemingly all) enjoyed either as a child or to this very day!

The "competitive" stuff, though, pales in comparison to the gritty, real emotions that "King of Kong" developed so well. There are just too many people in the competition to really get to know, and it felt as if the documentary makers tried to endow them with personalities (to create drama) to mask the fact that this was really just a friendly competition.

Overall, I give "Under the Boardwalk" 3.5 stars out of five. It's all in good fun, but you'll find yourself really "into it" when the history lessons and general nostalgic discussions rule the screen time.

From the DVD's cover, I was expecting a fascinating story about the origins about the Monopoly game and how it progressed over time. Instead, the movie was one scene after another about a professional Monopoly tournament and interviews with the participants-some of whom were hard to understand and none of whom were really interesting.

While the tournament might have been of interest, I was hoping to hear more about the Monopoly game in general. Namely, how and why it originated, how it became so popular, its influence on culture, etc. But the movie was practically all about said tournament, and it failed to catch my interest. Unless you are into Monopoly tournaments, don't bother.