Review of Wordplay (2006) by Lindsay M — 02 Jun 2007

One montage in Wordplay shows various celebrities---including the Indigo Girls, Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton and documentarian Ken Burns---hunkered down over the New York Times crossword. Burns breaks into a delighted smile as he notices a hidden pun. "They're playing with us here," he says. "That's wonderful.".

That delight's really what Wordplay is all about---the celebrity crossword enthusiasts are beside the point. The famous faces only show up briefly, possibly intended as a hook for a subject that director Creadon suspected audiences might find boring. But Stewart and company aren't needed. The crossword-puzzle editors, creators and competitors that populate the rest of Wordplay are fascinating enough on their own. Creadon sets up the movie in the familiar sports documentary style---its first hour introduces the major movers and shakers in the world of competitive crossword-puzzle solving, and the rest shows them competing at the 28th Annual American Crossword Puzzle tournament. Many point out that solving a crossword puzzle is a relatively solitary pursuit: As such, it's also one that doesn't seem to lend itself to interesting cinema. However, Creadon makes his subject matter engaging and fun---rather, he artfully conveys fun that already exists, but few would ever think to examine.

(by me,.

The Coast).