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WORDPLAY

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

I'm an admitted crossword addict. And snob. I do the NY Times puzzles in ink and stick to the Thursday through Sunday issues. I'd be happy to have a Saturday puzzle every day of the week. So it's no surprise that I loved Wordplay. I smiled from start to finish, and then watched all of the extras. What did surprise me was the fun had by my movie-watching partner. He’s not a crossword puzzler. He knows who Will Shortz is, but I’m sure he’d never heard of Merl Reagle before. He enjoyed Wordplay almost as much as I.

The structure of Wordplay is very similar to Spellbound, the 2002 documentary about kids competing in the 1999 National Spelling Bee. We meet Will Shortz, editor of the NY Times puzzle and only person in the world to hold a college degree in Enigmatology, the study of puzzles. Merl Reagle, a master of constructing, gives us a demonstration of how a puzzle develops. We meet several solvers, the sort that not only does the puzzle in ink, but also uses a stopwatch to track their daily times. We get feel for their “normal” lives as well as their obsession. This is all an intro to the main event, the 28th annual *American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, Connecticut. We join the solvers we’ve met and about 500 more for an "orgy of puzzling". The finals are fun, tense and even have a little twist or two.

Scattered through the action are pieces of interviews with famous people who love the NY Times puzzles; Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton and Bob Dole (who are featured in perhaps the cleverest crossword ever published), Ken Burns, The Indigo Girls, and Yankee pitcher Mike Mussina, all engaging and chatty about their puzzleheadedness.

Technically, the film is tight. The editing is inspired with an excellent use of split screen that shows puzzle clues and “real time” solving. Most of the soundtrack is just right, with Shawn Colvin’s cover of The Talking Heads's "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) " as well as songs Cake and They Might Be Giants. It all looks and sounds great.

The extras are really worth the price of buying the DVD rather than renting. You get a booklet with 5 really unique puzzles as well as over 85 minutes of on-disc features:

• Feature commentary with Director Patrick Creadon, New York Times Puzzle Editor, Will Shortz and Crossword Constructor Merle Reagle


• Interview gallery


• Deleted scenes


• The 5 Unforgettable Puzzles Ever Featurette : An inside look into creating puzzles and the tricks of the trade


• “Every Word,” a music video by Gary Louris


• Waiting for The New York Times – a short film by Patricia Erens


• Wordplay goes to Sundance


• Wordplay photo gallery

If you have any word gamers on your gift list, this movie is perfect. If you really want to make them smile, add the Wordplay The Official Companion Book to the package. It has fun, insider info on the movie and on puzzle making, even telling what the Times pays constructors per puzzle. Even better, it includes a nice selection (over 50) of puzzles that go from Monday to Sunday in difficulty.

* Directed by New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor Will Shortz, this is the nation's oldest and largest crossword competition. Solvers tackle eight original crosswords created and edited specially for this event. Scoring is based on accuracy and speed. Prizes are awarded in more than 20 categories, including a $4,000 grand prize. Evening games, guest speakers, and a wine and cheese reception allow solvers to meet each other in a relaxed and entertaining atmosphere.