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.

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.

This was a documentary that Jaime and I watched while we were vacationing in Savannah, Georgia. We were exhausted, it was the last night we were there and we wanted something that would be light. Jaime revealed to me that she hated the game of Monopoly, as she is a poor sport. This doc sounded interesting so we gave it a go. This shows how the classic board game has become a worldwide cultural phenomenon and follow the colorful players who come together to compete for the coveted title of Monopoly World Champion.

Much like many people in the documentary or I'm assuming in general, I didn't know there was a Monopoly National Champion, let alone a world championship event. I wasn't shocked though either, as it seems like we get a competition for almost anything. This doc does a great job at introducing us to a few people it is following as they compete. They are characters for sure. I'll be honest, I didn't like all of them.

What was more interesting to me though was learning the history of this game. It is one that I've played with my immediate and extended family as well as friends. I've played it while pre-gaming going to the bar. Learning the original version of the game and what that this was trying to teach anti-capitalist beliefs, then being made into the ultimate game of capitalism is interesting to me. Seeing the extent of the influence this game from the United States to the world also was fun to learn about.

I would say that this is a well made documentary. Not one that I would come back to regularly, but I enjoyed my time with it. It is fast and moves through. If anything, I would have enjoyed seeing a bit more of the tournaments in the movie. Regardless, I didn't hate my time with it in the slightest. I'd say this is over average for me.

My Rating: 6 out of 10.

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.

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.