Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.