Word nerds
Yesterday, the Smelmooo and I watched a documentary called Word Wars, which follows four very different men on their quest to be the National Scrabble Champion. Netflix recommended it, I guess because we gave Spellbound a good rating, and they're sort of similar movies: Nerdy types who want desperately to succeed in a national competition of the best and brainiest.
I really loved Spellbound, maybe because I was an incredibly nerdy kid and I identified with the kids in the movie. I dominated classroom spelling bees, to the extent that sometimes the teacher made me read the words to my classmates instead of actually competing, just to give the other kids a chance, although I never did larger competitions, where, based on Spellbound, I would've had my ass kicked. Anyway, with one exception, they were just likeable kids, if a bit overeager and compulsive; I cared about them, and I was really rooting for them.
The subjects in Word Wars, on the other hand, were just compelling in a train wrecky kind of way. Fascinating, but not endearing, and I really didn't like any of them. At one point, after a couple of the subjects had been eliminated, the Smelmooo said, "God, now I'm stuck having to root for THAT guy?!" But, truly, fascinating.
One of the guys showed off his expansive (although I think he referred to it as "dwindling") stock of vitamins and other kinds of "brain boosters" -- his kitchen literally looked like it housed half a GNC -- to help him with his game.
The guy who rated highest in the crazy-quirky category and probably lowest on likeability (again, though, it was a tough call) goes by GI Joel, because of his persistent gastrointestinal troubles. He chugged Maalox throughout pretty much the entire film, and kept a spitoon nearby at all times. And he was just completely matter-of-fact about it, which I guess is what is required if one is in such a position. GI Joel's dad was also featured in Word Wars; like his son, he wears suspenders (for comfort, not as a fashion statement) and was competing in the national tournament. When asked what he was doing there, GI Joel's dad said, "I'm kicking ass!" So, okay, I found one of the subjects kind of endearing, but that's it.
Finally, the winner of the tournament got a gig on The Today Show, and they showed the interview with Ann Curry, who -- bless her -- looked super-interested in the winner and his stories, betraying not a hint of "this dude's crazy." But when we watched some of the extras, they showed some footage of their interactions in the Green Room, and she clearly could not get away from him fast enough, which made me think a little less of Ann Curry, although I sympathized, because, really, CRAZY.
I really loved Spellbound, maybe because I was an incredibly nerdy kid and I identified with the kids in the movie. I dominated classroom spelling bees, to the extent that sometimes the teacher made me read the words to my classmates instead of actually competing, just to give the other kids a chance, although I never did larger competitions, where, based on Spellbound, I would've had my ass kicked. Anyway, with one exception, they were just likeable kids, if a bit overeager and compulsive; I cared about them, and I was really rooting for them.
The subjects in Word Wars, on the other hand, were just compelling in a train wrecky kind of way. Fascinating, but not endearing, and I really didn't like any of them. At one point, after a couple of the subjects had been eliminated, the Smelmooo said, "God, now I'm stuck having to root for THAT guy?!" But, truly, fascinating.
One of the guys showed off his expansive (although I think he referred to it as "dwindling") stock of vitamins and other kinds of "brain boosters" -- his kitchen literally looked like it housed half a GNC -- to help him with his game.
The guy who rated highest in the crazy-quirky category and probably lowest on likeability (again, though, it was a tough call) goes by GI Joel, because of his persistent gastrointestinal troubles. He chugged Maalox throughout pretty much the entire film, and kept a spitoon nearby at all times. And he was just completely matter-of-fact about it, which I guess is what is required if one is in such a position. GI Joel's dad was also featured in Word Wars; like his son, he wears suspenders (for comfort, not as a fashion statement) and was competing in the national tournament. When asked what he was doing there, GI Joel's dad said, "I'm kicking ass!" So, okay, I found one of the subjects kind of endearing, but that's it.
Finally, the winner of the tournament got a gig on The Today Show, and they showed the interview with Ann Curry, who -- bless her -- looked super-interested in the winner and his stories, betraying not a hint of "this dude's crazy." But when we watched some of the extras, they showed some footage of their interactions in the Green Room, and she clearly could not get away from him fast enough, which made me think a little less of Ann Curry, although I sympathized, because, really, CRAZY.
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