Word Wars

Released 2004
Directed by Eric Chaikin, Julian Petrillo

Follow four "word nerds" through their fastidious preparations and smaller tournaments that lead to the national championship Scrabble tournament in San Diego in 2002. These men are highly motivated (obsessed, even) and are not above uttering a few four-letter words when the going gets tough. Our favorite: Joel Sherman, a true dork with acid reflux trouble (he constantly quaffs Maalox) and no other discernable job besides playing Scrabble.

Summary by www.netflix.com

If you like to play Scrabble, this is a must see. If not, it's mildly entertaining. It wants to be like both Spellbound and Super Size Me, but it doesn't have the content of the latter or the compelling characters of the former. The worst person in the movie is Marlon who smokes dope and openly visits an (underage?) Mexican prostitute in Tijuana. He was always good for a laugh, though--whether it was raging against the white European society that oppresses him, or when he stormed out of a match to go smoke a spliff. Everything about him and his life was ridiculous. GI Joel was less repulsive, but just as ridiculous. He had one of my favorite observations, though, which was when he was asked if he was a genius. He said he wasn't, but he had developed a single skill far beyond what most people could achieve. The funny part was he also noted it was far beyond what most people would ever want to achieve. Touché. --Bill Alward, March 16, 2005