Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story
Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story
6.185%54%
Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story shows how the classic board game has become a worldwide cultural phenomenon and follows the colorful players who come together to compete for the coveted title of Monopoly World Champion.
Manuel Frangis reviewedApril 17, 2025
I just watched Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story, and I give it 3 out of 5 stars. This one was interesting, for sure. It’s a documentary all about the history of Monopoly, how it became the biggest board game in the world, and how people are still obsessed with it — like, to a competitive level. If you’ve ever played Monopoly and wondered who actually plays it seriously, this movie answers that. It’s not the most intense documentary out there, but it’s a fun and easy watch with some cool facts and characters.
The movie flips back and forth between the history of the game and following some of the top players in the official Monopoly World Championship. Yeah, that’s a real thing. You get to see how they train, how serious the tournaments get, and what it’s like to compete on that kind of level. It’s actually pretty wild how passionate some of these players are. They’ve got strategies, they study the game, and they treat it almost like a sport. I didn’t even know that existed before watching this.
The most interesting parts for me were definitely the behind-the-scenes stuff about the game’s origins. The documentary breaks down how Monopoly was created, and it turns out there’s a whole lot more drama behind it than I expected. The whole thing started as a completely different game with a message about inequality — and then it somehow got twisted into the version we know today. That was fascinating, and I wish they had spent even more time on that part.
The players they follow are fun to watch, too. Some of them are quirky, some are really intense, and some are just out there living their Monopoly dreams. There’s a guy who’s like a walking Monopoly encyclopedia, and others who’ve been competing for years. It gives the movie a fun, competitive edge, even though it’s not high-stakes or emotional in a big way. It’s more light and playful than dramatic, which makes it feel more like a fun background watch than something you have to fully lock into.
Visually, it’s pretty basic. It has a lot of talking head interviews, clips from the championships, and some animated parts that walk you through the history and rules of the game. It’s not super flashy, but it gets the job done. The pacing is decent, though a few parts feel a little slow or stretched out. You kind of know where it’s all going pretty early, so there aren’t really any surprises along the way.
I give Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story 3 out of 5 stars because it’s a solid documentary that teaches you a lot about a game you probably grew up playing — but it doesn’t quite take that extra step to become something really memorable. It’s cool to learn how serious some people are about Monopoly, and the historical side is surprisingly deep, but it’s more fun trivia than life changing insight. Overall Under the Boardwalk is an entertaining look at a game everyone knows, with a few cool surprises and some fun personalities. It’s not going to blow you away, but if you’ve got an hour and a half and you’re even a little bit curious about Monopoly, it’s definitely worth a watch.