Wordplay (DVD)
Directed by: Patrick Creadon
Written by: Patrick Creadon, Christine O’Malley
Starring: Will Shortz, Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, Ken Burns, The Indigo Girls

We all know that documentaries can teach us about an infinite amount of interesting topics, but for me, almost nothing tops a good offbeat documentary; that is, a film that introduces a seemingly mundane subject in a new way, or reveals a strange subculture that we never knew existed. With that said, what could possibly be more mundane than the world of crossword puzzles?

It’s true that a movie about crossword puzzles probably sounds like the most dull and inane thing ever put to film, but I’m hear to tell you that Patrick Creadon has created a really fun movie here, complete with a zany cast of likeable characters and fresh insight into one of the world’s most popular pastimes.

Wordplay centres on Will Shortz, editor for The New York Times crossword, which makes him the head honcho behind not only the most widely read crossword puzzle anywhere, but also the most challenging and consistently the most cleverly constructed. This is the crossword that all puzzle conoisseurs hold in the highest regard. Shortz himself got his start by majoring in “Enigmatology” at Indiana University in the 70′s, a made-up degree consisting of a curriculum that he essentially invented for himself. Long before he took over as the Times puzzle editor from Eugene Maleska in 1993, Shortz founded the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in 1978, which has since grown in popularity year by year.

The first half of Wordplay jumps back and forth between interviews with crossword puzzle creators, famous crossword puzzle enthusiasts, and some of the “top rated” American Crossword Puzzle Tournament competitors. It’s here that you gain an understanding of the unique talents required to create these puzzles, and also the subtle finesse and artistry that comes with organizing a puzzle around a theme. (One ingenious puzzle mentioned in the film appeared the day before the 1996 U.S. Presidential Election. Jeremiah Farrell had constructed a crossword where one clue could be answered with either “Clinton” or “Bob Dole” and in both cases they fit with different answers around them.)

But while the puzzle designers are clearly quirky and brilliant people, it is the puzzle solvers who will blow you away in this movie. For me, a crossword puzzle has always been something that you sit down and labour over for hours, often recruiting help from people around you to complete. But the first time you see one of these people blow through a puzzle in 2 or 3 minutes, you won’t believe your eyes. Their pens never stop scribbling; how they can think that fast is completely beyond me.

During this part of the film, we also hear from interesting personalities who are big fans of the Times’ puzzle, including Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton, the Indigo Girls, filmmaker Ken Burns, and Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina. All of these people have insightful things to say about the hobby/obsession, and they do prove to be more than simply casual fans who were crammed into the film because they are famous.

The second half of Wordplay is ultimately much more rivetting, however, as it captures events from the 2005 annual tournament in Stamford, Connecticut. Similar to documentaries like Word Wars and Spellbound, it leads to a nail-biting finale with an amazing twist ending that could never be scripted — it truly keeps you on the edge of your seat. They actually manage to make it exciting to watch people solving puzzles through innovative use of split screens and overlays of the puzzle clues.

Admittedly, I could have done without the sappy montage from the talent show performances, and I did feel a bit disappointed that we never got to know any of the actual competitors too deeply. It seems a shame that some of these people’s stories were shunned in favour giving the “celebrities” more screen time, but in all honesty, it didn’t seem to matter all that much in the end.

This is one of the most fun documentaries I’ve seen all year, and although it feels pretty similar to Word Wars and Spellbound, I think there are much worse movies that one could try to emulate. As a bonus, the DVD comes with an insert containing the five most famous New York Times puzzles (they are hard as hell), and also includes plenty of deleted scenes, an audio commentary with Will Shortz, director Patrick Creadon, and puzzle constructor Merl Reagle, a couple featurettes, and Waiting For The New York Times (a short doc by Patricia Erens about the Sunday morning ritual in her small town). Seriously don’t miss out on this movie, I promise you’ll be surprised at just how compelling crosswords can be! — Sean