Check your basement shelves, or a closet in a guest room. Maybe even in your kids room under their bed. Wherever it may be most likely you have a copy of the board game MONOPOLY. When you find the game, what memories does the game bring up for you? Maybe it's playing the game on a summer vacation with your family. Or playing "a friendly" game that turns into a controversy for years to come. Love the game or hate it, MONOPOLY is a board game that has become a piece of Americana. A game that, for many of us, introduces us to the perils of taxes, paying rent, mortgages and bankruptcy.
The documentary Under the Boardwalk (Tostado, 2010) examines the history MONOPOLY while also following various competitors of the American MONOPOLY championship and the world championship. The film neatly juxtaposes both history and tournament without being overtly suffocating. The filmmakers don't take themselves too seriously in their examination of the game but fully understand the competitive nature of the tournaments. By mixing both light and tense moments we come to experience various emotions that the game brings to people. At times the filmmakers show us the thought process of various competitors. The competitors explain their moves and what they hoped would come from them. When the moves and die rolls work we witness triumph, but when they fail we see how slim the margins are between victory and defeat. What the film shows is the complex strategy's that goes into competitive play and makes MONOPOLY seem more intense than a chess grandmasters face-off.
Even with such intense strategy and competition the filmmakers show us the quirky side of MONOPOLY. Enough time is spent on the different game pieces and which ones are the most popular. There is also an exploration into fanatics of the game. Some having a massive cadre of MONOPOLY variations and themes. Some of these fanatics lead us through the history of the game. By looking at the history of the game we come to see how influential the game has become internationally and how the game has also become an educational tool.
One of the more fascinating aspects to the MONOPOLY story is the invention of the game and its original purpose. The original manifestation of the game was designed to show the perils of capitalism and potentially to be used as a tool to promote other economic systems. With time and redevelopment and a journey across parts of northeast America, the game becomes what we know it to be today. If anything the game promotes a capitalist mindframe and the desire to be the last one standing with the cash.
Under the Boardwalk is part of a breed of documentary film that makes us appreciate a piece of American culture. The film shows us the ability of a board game to unite people for a moment of leisure and also unite people in the competitive realm. What this film may very well do for those who watch it, is lead you to finding a copy of the game and playing it. In some ways this documentary film leads one to action. Not in a world changing or protesting way as a political or social documentary would, but action that forces us to have fun. Just hope that if you do play the game, you end the game having had fun and not tasting sour grapes from dice rolls gone wrong.
