Word Wars (2004)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Directors:

Eric Chaikin
Julian Petrillo

Genre:

Documentary | Comedy

Plot:

A look at the obsessive world of competitive Scrabble.

Plot Keywords:

Scrabble | Board Game | Marijuana | Tournament

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Mike Birbiglia	...	Himself
Joe Edley	...	Himself
Stefan Fatsis	...	Himself
Matt Graham	...	Himself
Marlon Hill	...	Himself
Joel Sherman	...	Himself

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

San Diego, California, USA

Company:

Seventh Art Releasing

Trivia:

The last line in the credits reads "This film is rated 1900" - a reference to the National Scrabble Association rating system (1700 and above is considered an expert rating; typically only elite players get to 1900 and up).

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2004-06-12)" (2004)

Pathetic, or enlightened?

I have to disagree vehemently with littlesiddie (though I do love Cambridge, LS!) -- Word Wars is one of the funniest, most engrossing, and occasionally even touching movies I've seen in the past few years, and I don't even like Scrabble. The movie introduces us to 4 top Scrabble competitors, with very different backgrounds, personalities, and approaches to preparing for combat. Their stories reveal a lifestyle that is consumed with Scrabble, as the competitors spend hours memorizing obscure words and battling each other into the wee hours, oblivious to their surroundings, their poverty, their lack of girlfriends....Our heroes (no heroines; women apparently just aren't that obsessive) are at once pathetic, inspiring, and hilarious as we watch the tension build toward the ultimate showdown, the final test of memory, stamina, and individual dominance, the national championship for the big bonanza...grand prize $25,000. Are they just laughable geeks, with no sense of what's important in life? Or are they the truly enlightened, having found their Nirvana in the land of triple word scores? (Plus you learn a lot of cool words.)