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DVD Wordplay
The linguistic ballet of the crossword puzzle and the obsessive minds that wrestle with them are a source of delight in the charming documentary Wordplay. Though there's no story, the movie has a definite hero: Will Shortz, the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, universally acknowledged as the pinnacle of crosswords. Shortz comes across as clever but modest; though he's at the top of his particular world, he retains a bemused perspective on that world's limitations. Though speckled with celebrities from former President Bill Clinton to the Indigo Girls, the most engaging interviews are with puzzle creator Merl Reagle (who gives a fascinating on-screen demonstration of how he starts making a puzzle) and the witty and garrulous commentary by the former public editor for the Times, Daniel Okrent. Like many recent documentaries, Wordplay is built around a competition: The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, an annual event started by Shortz and embraced by people who have devoted an alarming amount of their brain space to filling squares with letters. Though the movie is not as emotionally involving as Spellbound--still the ne plus ultra of nerdy documentaries--Wordplay's window into its particular subculture will be enjoyable to non-crossword fans as well as committed puzzleheads.--Bret Fetzer
Surprisingly, concerning the subject matter, crossword puzzles, the documentary was entertaining. The celebrities interviewed by the director are interesting and entertaining: Shortz, Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton, Mike Mussina, the Indigo Girls, and Ken Burns. Shortz is always interesting. Jon Stewart was very funny for the short time he was on. The film centered on the annual competition in New York, but also showed how a New York times crossword is developed, editted, published and then solved by the celebs. It was a very interesting process.
I took off a star because the competition was intense, but other films in this genre were far more interesting. All the competitors were fairly normal people. In "Word Wars", it was a true subculture of people who played scrabble almost professionally. These people were on the margins of society. "Spellbound" was a look at the competitors and the families that compete. The other movie were just more compelling. However,if you like Spellbound and Word Wars you will like this movie as well.
Passionate about words
There's an episode of MASH where Hawkeye and B.J. become obsessed with solving a New York Times crossword puzzle and go to outrageous lengths to finish it. This episode perfectly sums up the kind of dedication these puzzles inspire and require. Wordplay profiles Will Shortz, the crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times and explores a hobby that millions of people practice on buses and subways to and from work every day. What is the appeal of crossword puzzles? This entertaining and informative documentary answers this question.
This is a fun, engaging documentary that successfully conveys the passion people have for crosswords. All one needs is a puzzle and something to write with and there is something comforting about that kind of simplicity in this day and age where everyone seems to be plugged into an iPod or a Playstation.
There is an audio commentary by director Patrick Creadon, New York Times puzzle editor Will Shortz and crossword constructor Merl Reagle. Shortz comes across as a naturally funny guy who tells some amusing anecdotes. This is a very genial, engaging track that compliments the documentary quite well.
Also included are seven deleted scenes pertaining to Shortz. We see footage of him reading another fan letter, footage of him talking about the difficulty he had taking over at the New York Times and the negative mail he received about how much tougher the puzzles were when he took over.
There are six additional deleted scenes with the other puzzle solvers in the doc. Ellen Ripstein talks about the allure of puzzles for her while Al Sanders speaks about how he is at the perfect age for solving puzzles.
There are three deleted scenes from the Stamford Crossword Tournament including more interviews with other attendees.
The "Interview Gallery" features more footage of the celebrity puzzle solvers. Ken Burns talks about his love for crosswords while Jon Stewart talks about meeting Shortz in person for the first time.
"5 Unforgettable Puzzles from the Pages of the New York Times" features footage of five people who created some of the most memorable crosswords in the newspaper's history. One lady designed a pictorial puzzle and another designs humourous puzzles with puns.
"Wordplay Goes to Sundance" shows the documentary's reception at this famous film festival. Key crew members and interview subjects were there and are shown answering questions from the audience.
There is a music video for the song "Every Word" by Gary Louris.
Also included is the "Wordplay Photo Gallery," a montage of pictures from the Sundance screenings.
"And the Winner is..." presents the finalists from this year's Annual American Crossword Tournament.
Finally, there is "Waiting for the New York Times," a short film by Patricia Erens.
Fun, Informative Look at Crossword Puzzles, Solvers & Creators.
"Wordplay" is director Patrick Creadon's homage to crossword puzzles, their creators, and their most avid solvers. The elite of crossword culture share their insights and expertise: New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz, who founded the Annual Crossword Puzzle Tournament held in Stamford, Connecticut since 1978. Puzzle constructor Merl Reagle. And a diverse assortment of five expert puzzle solvers who were among those competing at the 28th Annual Tournament in 2005. The ubiquity of crossword puzzles in American culture is represented by interviews with celebrity enthusiasts Jon Stewart, documentarian Ken Burns, The Indigo Girls (Amy Ray & Emily Saliers), former President Bill Clinton, and Yankee pitcher Mike Mussina.
"Wordplay" takes the audience on two journeys: Our five competitive crossword solvers anticipate the national Tournament and tell us a little about their hobby. And we watch Merl Reagle create a puzzle on the "word play" theme that will appear in the New York Times. To tie the two threads up nicely, the celebrity solvers all work Reagle's crossword, and, of course, we watch our five crossword whizes compete in the 3-day 2005 Tournament, right through to the nerve-racking championship round. Although the highly ranked contestants are very competitive, the Annual Crossword Puzzle Tournament is strikingly low-key and friendly. Perhaps that is because crossword-solving is a solitary pursuit. Competitors never confront one another.
"Wordplay" is a low-key documentary to match its subject. But crossword fans will be amazed by the skill of the competitors, intrigued by the creation and editing of puzzles, and in accord with the celebrity solvers as they express the charm of crosswords. "Wordplay" is an engaging tour of crossword culture that hits all of the most compelling facets of these wonderful word puzzles. English captions and Spanish subtitles are available on the IFC 2006 DVD.
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