DVD Review “Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story”

Directed by: Kevin Tostado
Narrated by: Zachary Levi
MPAA Rating: G
Distributed by: New Video
Running Time: 88 minutes

Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Who doesn’t love “Monopoly”? Everyone has played this game at least once in their lives. This movie is a great showcase of the game and its biggest fans behind it. This game has been around for the last 75 years and I am sure that it will continue to be successful for many more years. If you are ever wondering what is the back story to how this game came to where it is today, this is the movie for you.

The film is told in two parts. One part focuses on the history of the game and how it started and spread like a virus worldwide during the depression. The second part focuses on the competitive nature of the game. It takes us through stories during the 2009 Las Vegas and World Championships of Monopoly. I never even knew that these events took place, prior to watching this. We get to meet the people that compete for these events and some of them are laughable for there devotion to the game but some are normal people like lawyers and teachers.

The special features on the disc are very impressive for a documentary. There is a thorough commentary from director Kevin Tostado. They have completed match from the 2009 World Championship final game. I enjoyed most the featurette “The Methods, Math & Myths of Monopoly”, which into mythology behind the game. In case you didn’t realize, Zachary Levi (“Tangled”, “Chuck”) narrated this film and they have a great outtake reel of this work on the film. There are a few extended scenes included but I felt the film was already paced well. Lastly there is a fun (but challenging) interactive Monopoly quiz included.