Wordplay (2006)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Patrick Creadon

Writers:

Patrick Creadon (writer)
Christine O'Malley (writer)

Release Date:

23 June 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Discover a world that thinks inside the box

Plot:

An in-depth look at The New York Times' long-time crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz and his loyal fan base.

Plot Keywords:

Crossword Puzzle | New York Times | Computer | Competition | Newspaper

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Will Shortz	...	Himself
Merl Reagle	...	Himself
Tyler Hinman	...	Himself
Norman Payne	...	Himself (as Trip Payne)
Al Sanders	...	Himself
Ellen Ripstein	...	Herself
Jon Delfin	...	Himself
Jon Stewart	...	Himself
Ken Burns	...	Himself
Amy Ray	...	Herself
Emily Saliers	...	Herself
Daniel Okrent	...	Himself
Mike Mussina	...	Himself
Bob Dole	...	Himself
Bill Clinton	...	Himself (as William Jefferson Clinton)

Also Known As:

Word Play (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some language and mild thematic elements.

Runtime:

USA:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Grinder Productions

Quotes:

Norman Payne: I've always been intrigued by the letter "Q".

Movie Connections:

References Pote tin Kyriaki (1960)

Soundtrack:

Every Word

a delight for linguists and fans of words, not bad for everyone else

Crossword puzzles, and the many people who make them popular, are the focus in Wordplay, including the editor of the NY Times puzzle (the most notorious of them in the USA), celebrities and politicians, and the general public obsessed with them. As a documentary Wordplay is good, not great, film-making about its subject with a couple of montages and interlocking scenes that are weak. But the subject matter, and usually how its presented, sparks a fine interest even in a non-crossword puzzle player like myself. As words are all that we have to work with in communication and just everyday discourse, it's also attached here to the idea of testing, of competition, and how different and varying crosswords can get. Like the documentary Spellbound from a few years back, the director is also after the kind of irony of making such an isolated experience of finishing a puzzle into an event with hundreds of players once a year with friendships and acquaintances- a social event as much as a match-up.

Many parts are amusing as well; we get interviews from Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, and the editor of NY Times Crossword himself, Will Shortz, and they all give some insightful, funny little bits of interest into making the puzzles and playing them. But for the most part we're into the mind-set of several key players, real people whom will all come together for the tournament in Jaunary. What makes all of this work, and what actually makes crossword puzzles become good enough for cinema, is watching smart people, un-cluttered for the most part with problems, who can focus all of their attentions on this one activity, to the point of obsessive compulsive behavior. It's really fun, in a nerdy way, trying to guess some of these words (or rather watching them guessing the words) along with the players. And the way the puzzles are created sparks a little interest too, as it's one of those parts of life I myself could never, ever accomplish. Worth a look, though probably more so for fans of the activity.