Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story

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.

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.

If you were obsessed with Monopoly, as I was, you will love this film. And you will be amazed at how the world has been as obsessed as you were. What a heart warmer this movie is, bringing you back to the pre internet days when playing a game of Monopoly, that sometimes went on for days, was the most exciting thing to do. It all comes alive and then some in a delicious romp through history. Who knew that Monopoly is an industry that has gone through many incarnations and is available in what seems to be every language in the world, not to mention being the occasion of a robust tournament circuit that is in full flower today? This beautiful and well executed production, which stays interesting throughout, has to leave you smiling.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this documentary, and went to see it because my son married into the Tostado family. I mean, how interesting could the game of Monopoly be? We went to see it on opening night in San Diego, and though we didn't realize it, were greeted at the door by one of the stars of the movie. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the documentary. It kept me entertained, and actually seemed to encourage audience participation. The movie had many interesting characters. I found the parts about the competitions especially interesting.

At the end of the screening there was a Q&A period, and he had some of the past national champions there to answer questions. I thought it was a very good documentary.

I am sure it is the same for most people, but this game reminded me of when I was younger and played it with my friends. The hours of fun (and fighting) that I had with my cousins is what I remember most. I remember the games would take so long, that we would go to sleep and start it back up first thing in the morning. The whole night I wouldn't sleep because I was always worried that they would cheat. I now know why the game use to never end (no one ever thought about reading the rules).

This movie was very rich in history and entertainment. To see it origins and growth over the years, and also its effects on others is very interesting. I actually bought a set of Monopoly that day and have a regular game with my friends. Great movie.