Wordplay (2006)

Director:

Patrick Creadon

Writers:

Patrick Creadon
Christine O'Malley

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:

Puzzle | Crossword Puzzle | New York Times | Editor | Competition

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

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)
Miriam Raphael	...	Herself
Liane Hansen	...	Herself
Alex Ripitsky	...	Himself
Nancy Ellwood Fasulo	...	Herself (as nancy Ellwood)
Marc Romano	...	Himself
Eileen Mogan	...	Herself
Patrick Jordan	...	Himself
Joy Dewing	...	Herself
Selmer Bringsjord	...	Himself (as Dr. Selmer Bringsjord)
Brian Dominy	...	Himself
Vic Fleming	...	Himself
Stella Daily	...	Herself
Ben Tausig	...	Himself
Fred Piscop	...	Himself
Byron Walden	...	Himself
Amy Reynaldo	...	Herself
Kiran Kedlaya	...	Himself
Lloyd Mazer	...	Himself
Katherine Bryant	...	Herself
Jim Jenista	...	Himself
Dan Katz	...	Himself
Norma Mindell	...	Herself
Judie Berger	...	Herself
Leslie Billig	...	Herself
Doug Heller	...	Himself
Mel Rosen	...	Himself
Neal Conan	...	Himself
Stanley Newman	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Susan Hoffman	...	Herself
Julia Royter	...	Herself
Chris Petoyan	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Patrick Creadon

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Patrick Creadon
Christine O'Malley

Produced by
Michael Creadon	....	associate producer
Christine O'Malley	....	producer
Patrick Walsh	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Peter Golub

Cinematography by
Patrick Creadon		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Douglas Blush		(as Doug Blush)

Art Department
Bob Wilson	....	artist: oil painting

Sound Department
Joseph Adorisio II	....	audio layback
Larry Ellis	....	sound designer
Larry Ellis	....	sound mixer
Andy Potvin	....	sound consultant: Dolby

Visual Effects by
Brian Oakes	....	title sequence and motion graphics

Camera and Electrical Department
Matthew Beals	....	additional camera operator (as Matt Beals)
Skip Blumberg	....	additional camera operator
Donald Christensen	....	still photographer
Alex Kobbs	....	additional camera operator
Alexis Martino	....	still photographer
Emily Shur	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Jeff Garcia	....	assistant editor
Adrian Guedin	....	colorist
Adrian Guedin	....	on-line editor
Steve Lemley	....	color timer
Darla Marasco	....	director of post-production

Music Department
Stewart Clark	....	musician: clarinet
Jeremy Drake	....	musician: guitar
Aram Goldberg	....	music coordinator
Peter Golub	....	conductor
Peter Golub	....	music arranger
Peter Golub	....	musician: piano
Matt Havron	....	music coordinator
Alexei Helenius	....	musician: harp
Jeff Levine	....	musician: bass
Tracy McKnight	....	music supervisor
Monte Namadio	....	musician: bassoon
Adam Rudolph	....	musician: percussion
Roger Sorkin	....	musician: marimba
Derek Syverud	....	musician: percussion
Mark Wheaton	....	music recording engineer

Other crew
P.F. Bentley	....	archival photographs
Donald Christensen	....	archival photographs
Jon Delfin	....	archival photographs
Winston Emano	....	publicist: David Magdael & Associates Inc.
Erin Heidenreich	....	sales agent
Theodore James	....	production assistant (as T.J. Hemleben)
David Magdael	....	publicist: David Magdael & Associates Inc.
Julia McMorrow	....	production assistant
Dana O'Keefe	....	sales agent
Caitlin O'Malley	....	production assistant
Trip Payne	....	archival photographs
Christopher Powers	....	production associate
Miriam Raphael	....	archival photographs
Ellen Ripstein	....	archival photographs
Al Sanders	....	archival photographs
Nancy Shack	....	provider: archival footage
Will Shortz	....	archival photographs
Ashley Simpson	....	production assistant
Robert Stein	....	legal counsel
Anne Stulz	....	publicist: David Magdael & Associates Inc.
Steven Wallace	....	publicist: David Magdael & Associates Inc.

Thanks
Nancy Shack	....	acknowledgment: archival footage provided by

Production Companies

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

Distributors

• Senator Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• ABC Newsource  archival footage (as ABC Newssource)
• BBC Motion Gallery  archival footage
• Brian Oakes Design  graphics
• Catasonic Studios  music recorded and mixed at (as Catasonic)
• Cinetic Media  distribution advisory services
• Crawfordsville Journal Review  archive photo
• David Magdael and Associates  publicity
• DeWitt Stern Insurance Services  production insurance
• EFilm  laser film recording provided by
• Farrar Family, The  archive photo
• Getty Images  archival footage
• Getty Images  archive photo
• Jeremy Walker + Associates  publicity (uncredited)
• MAX Post  post production services (as Max Post)
• MLB Productions  archival footage
• Marabou Productions  camera services

Also Known As:

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 "Leave It to Beaver" (1957)

Soundtrack:

Fill It up Again

Playing with words

This delightful documentary, directed by Patrick Creadon, is a dream come true for people that enjoy to solve crossword puzzles. It centers around Will Shortz, the current New York Times editor, who has revolutionized the way we do the puzzles today. The film was co-written by Christine O'Malley, who with the director, takes us to meet some of the people behind the scenes.

We must make a confession from the start, we are one of those addicted to solving the daily crosswords in the paper. The New York Times puzzles are the best of all the ones published by any newspaper. Of course, we are not in the league of the likes of Tyler Hinman, Trip Payne, or Al Sanders, who were the three finalist in the 2005 competition, but we are happy with just the idea of solving them every morning.

There are many personalities that speak about their addiction to the crosswords of the New York Times. Among them, we hear from former President Bill Clinton, a man that has always been notorious for his quick mind. David Okrent, the former public editor of the Times, makes a surprise appearance. Jon Stewart is also funny in the way he deals with clues and how he blames Will Shortz when he doesn't get them. Mike Mussina, The Indigo Girls, Bob Dole, and other celebrities also are seen.

The great fun of "Wordplay" is watching a master constructor of the stature of Merl Reagle creating a daily crossword right in front of the camera, and explaining the logic behind it. There is a funny moment when Ellen Ripstein, a former winner, tells us that in spite of having won, she keeps going every year to participate in the tournament. Her performance in the entertainment part of the competition brings a light and goofy moment to the film.

The only thing we don't get too much of is the master himself. Will Shortz appears all too briefly as the emphasis of the documentary seems to be the annual competition at the Marriott in Stamford. Some of Mr. Shortz observations are funny, especially when he shares his typical weekly correspondence from frustrated people that are "puzzled" by his clues.

"Wordplay" is a film that will resonate more with crossword puzzle lovers, but it is a fun movie to sit through because the witty material and the pace it was given by its creators.