Wordplay (2006)

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

Director:

Patrick Creadon

Writers:

Patrick Creadon, Christine O'Malley

Stars:

Will Shortz, Merl Reagle, Jon Stewart

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Shortz	...	Himself
Merl Reagle	...	Himself
Tyler Hinman	...	Himself
Trip Payne	...	Himself
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)

Storyline

A documentary that focuses on the world of crossword puzzles: those that construct them, those that love to solve them, those that compete in the annual Crossword competition in Stamford and also on Will Shortz, the editor of the New York Times crossword since the early 1990s. Shortz actually has a university degree in games and organized the first crossword championship in 1978. Some of the contributors to the Times puzzle explain how they go about building them while some aficionados, including former President Bill Clinton and comedian Jon Stewart talk about their love of solving them. The film also introduces several past champions and near champions competing in the 2006 tournament and it takes you from the preliminary rounds to the final where the top three contestants compete in front of a room full of admiring contestants.

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Plot Keywords:

puzzle | crossword puzzle | new york times | editor | competition | 

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Taglines:

A wildly entertaining documentary about crossword puzzles, the people who make them and the people who love them

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some language and mild thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

IFC Films [us] PBS

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 June 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Puzzelrace

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$32,847 (USA) (16 June 2006)

Gross:

$3,117,666 (USA) (20 October 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Grinder Productions, O'Malley Creadon Productions, Weinstein Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Merl Reagle: And there's word-choice rules. You can't use - usually - bodily functions in puzzles, you know. "Urine" would bail me out of a corner, I mean, a million times a year. Same with "enema." "Enema" - talk about great letters...

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Connections

References Roots (1977)

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Soundtracks

"Closer to Fine"
written by Emily Saliers
performed by Indigo Girls

User Reviews

Every thing that makes a great movie

This is the best movie I have seen this year. It has everything that makes a movie great, fun, memorable. It's funny, it's sad, there's angst, and tension, anticipation, there's "ohhhhhhh" and smiles, laughter and tears. It's interesting--and I learned something too (actually a lot). You'll cheer and applaud DURING the movie, you'll feel their pain and marvel at how SMART these people are.

The editing is the tightest I can remember. The movie flows like a roller coaster: never off track, always going somewhere, the highs fall into the lows, and it rises back to an even keel. It never leaves you bored wondering okay when will this over. It leads you to the edge, pulls back, and then climaxes. Superbly done.

Wordplay is a small independent that is more worthy of an Academy Award than many of the "big ticket" movies out there. Go see and tell your friends—you won't be disappointed, you'll leave the theater with a smile on your face.