Word Wars - Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Game Circuit

Starring:Word Wars
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

Description

Tracking four Scrabble fanatics as they travel from tournament to tournament and eventually reach the U.S. nationals in San Diego, the film is a thoroughly entertaining and hilarious look at a board game that's an occasional amusement for some-and a serious obsession (or disturbing addiction) for others.

Customer Reviews:

word warriors.......2007-06-14

Unlike its linguistic cousins about the national spelling bee (Spellbound) and crossword puzzles (Word Play), this documentary film never rises to the level of the mighty social phenomenon that it describes--Scrabble. My mother played Scrabble every day during her lunch hour; her battered board game was the one momento from her estate that I wanted. The film tries to build anticipation by tracking the nine months leading up to the 2002 US National championship in San Diego where 700 scrabblers compete for a first prize of $25,000. The narrative follows four word warriors who are not only uninteresting but unlikable: Matt Graham (ranked #7 in the country), Joel Sherman (#13), Marlon Hill (#29), and Joe Edey (#1). Except for Edey, none of these guys has anything like a normal life or job; they play Scrabble all day and are penniless. Hill sports dread locks and a foul mouth. Sherman is a college drop out obsessed by his acid reflux. Graham uses brain boosters. The film could have done more with average players like the neighbors who play outside in NYC's Washington Square, the Scrabble club at an elementary school, or people like my mom. Unfortunately, this is a mediocre film about a great game.

Best Scrabble Documentary!.......2007-05-13

If you enjoy puzzle games or strategic competition, you should definitely see this movie; and, of course, if you're a Scrabble fan, too. This film does a great job depicting both the game, the brand, and the individual players involved.

Needs more Fatsis, but still a fascinating film of an obsessive subculture.......2007-02-17

'Word Wars' quite obviously has its genesis in Stefan Fatsis' outstanding book 'Word Freak,' a fascinating look at the Scrabble subculture. That said, I wish the movie used more of Fatsis. He appears here with some commentary, and the filmmakers note Fatsis' book and his immersion into the playing circuit. His observations on the game and its personalities at the tournament circuit's upper echelons are the best part of the movie. Additionally, Fatsis' book and this movie have resulted in ESPN now showing some of these tournaments. Fatsis is the analyst on these telecasts. His journalism background + his Scrabble cultural immersion make his commentary fascinating.

Fatsis does have his own Scrabble movie ('Scrabylon'), and that may have played a part. In truth, Fatsis' smaller role is probably due to the filmmakers' treasure trove of material resulting from its coverage of four of the nationally-ranked players. Frankly - and these guys would be the first to admit it - these are four less-than-fully-formed human beings. That's the fascination of the movie. Only one of the four has anything nearly resembling a 'job' as the general public would see it. These gentlemen have filled their lives with their Scrabble obsession.

It's of extremely good fortune for the filmmakers that one of the four featured individuals eventually triumphs that year - in front of the cameras - at the Nationals.

By the way, for viewers of the film, here's a neat kick: go to Stefan Fatsis' 'Word Freak' here on these pages and you'll see the spotlight review written by none other than G.I. Joel himself, Joel Sherman.

Live and Love Scrabble!.......2006-09-27

WORD WARS is a fun movie that follows 4 eccentric and obsessed scrabble whizzes on the road towards the 2002 National Scrabble Championships in San Diego. I am an occasional Scrabble nut, but nothing like these guys! There is former champ Joe Edley who meditates and does Shiatsu/Xen like exercises to keep himself mentally and physically prepared for the challenges that come with obsessive scrabble. The other 3 are even more eccentric- Matt Graham occasionally does stand up comedy (and once had a job with Conan O'Brien) but spends much of his time playing scrabble and using brain enhancers. Marlon Hill philosophizes on injustice towards people of color with colorful language- but he doesn't do much else except play scrabble, although he occasionally teaches scrabble to kids in an inner city school. GI Joel Sherman spends his time glugging down Maalox - GI here stands for 'gastrointestinal' reflux- and- as he does nothing else but play scrabble, wishes to become a professional scrabble player. (He would be, but alas, scrabble victories do not yet pay enough to support oneself).

While the title of the movie suggests an antagonistic relationship between the characters, it was pleasantly surprising to see how they well they get along. Obsessive scrabble players clearly form a small, close-nit group. Matt Graham and GI Joel Sherman have 'best of 50' matches- the winner takes cash. Marlon Hill constantly curses Matt Graham for playing 'fake' words- but hangs out with him all the time and even helps him groom his hair. Joe Edley remains a bit apart from the rest, perhaps because he is the only one with a full time job and a family, but is on good terms with everyone as well.

Apart from the 'official' circuit (as played by these 4 men) we also see a bit of the unofficial games taking place at Washington Square where regulars play in an inner city atmosphere among the chaos of cars, noisy pedestrians and occasional protestors. One gets the impression that these people consider themselves the 'real' scrabble players, versus the 'pansies' who play the competitive circuit.

Apart from following the lives of these characters, we also learn a bit about the game itself. In the official tournaments, each player only has 25 minutes total on his/her clock (no spending 30 minutes on one turn, like my family members and I do!). The clock starts even if the player doesn't show up- the movie shows a hilarious scene of Marlon Hill strolling in about 10 minutes late for a game- he wins comfortably anyway. We also learn about the controversy over the scrabble dictionary- after much debate, it was settled to have two version of the bible of scrabble- the sanitized 'family version' and the 'official version' with all kinds of naughty words.

Finally, the film and characters also give us scrabble novices strategies to win. One should view the game from a math angle, since at higher levels, scrabble is a numbers game as much as a word game. It also helps to keep track of all the letters that have already been used in a game, so one knows which letters remain in the bag. Of course, one should memorize the scrabble dictionary (and have in mind lists of words such as 'all the words that begin with a 'q' without a 'u''). Memorizing the words is enough- there is no need to waste brain space memorizing meanings (although the movie helpfully defines some esoteric words the champs use for us). The key is to know one's anagrams- for example, that an anagram of 'San Diego' is 'diagnose!'

Of course, watching the movie won't make you into a scrabble superstar. If you wanted to be one, it may even turn you off, as the requirements seems to be obsession and an eccentric personality. But the movie is a must see for any scrabble fan- it is a fun and charming look at a great game and the quirky champions who not so much play the game but live it.

Kinda scary.......2005-10-31

I enjoy Scrabble, but the people in this docu are scary. They're unemployed Scrabble players who are as neurotic as any character out of a Woody Allen movie. The docu looses a little steams as it goes on (watching Scrabble isnt that interesting), but it's an interesting look at professional Scrabble players.

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