zee
I love a good documentary, and this is certainly that. This profiles puzzler Will Shortz, fans of the New York Times crossword puzzle (including President Bill Clinton, The Indigo Girls, and Jon Stewart), and follows Shortz' national crossword competition and five of the contestants in that competition in 2005. The competition drives a thrilling plot, the competitors are all smart and witty and decent human beings, fair and gracious with each other despite wanting to win, and there is a lot of humor and intellectual stimulation here, and I learned a bit about constructing crossword puzzles, which I've tried to do and failed at before, but now I know a couple tricks and may try again. I liked this tremendously, though I am willing to guess that people who don't love puzzles and games might not like it as much as I did. A+
wrlang
Wordplay is a geeky docudrama about the wonderful world of crossword puzzles and the people who can't live without them. I personally love word games because of my dyslexia and play scrabble when I get the chance. Crosswords are fun, but not as much as other word games. The film was very well made and gave a superficial glimpse at the crossword world. No action, some humor, and lots of interesting facts about the New York Times crossword, the epitome of crosses. I liked the idea of getting into the lives of the top players to a small degree to find out what type of people they are. I was amazed that they had their own tournament that had been going on so long. Not a lot of action, just a homey film that leaves a good feeling.
Lee Eisenberg
As someone who always likes to solve the New York Times crossword - I like crossword puzzles in general, but the NYT one is the most challenging - "Wordplay" was a real treat for me. I have to admit that I'm no match for the people involved in the tournament, but it's still great to see this all. Will Shortz has got to be one of the cleverest people alive. I was most surprised when Merl Reagle wrote in the answers to the theme and found words to fill in (I had always thought that impossible).Moreover, it's neat to see Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart doing the crossword (I assume that George W. Bush never does crosswords). A really impressive documentary.
dmturner
As I watched this movie, I heard all around me little appreciative chuckles from the audience. I like but don't love crossword puzzles (my mother did the double crostics when I was a kid, which were beyond me) and can take them or leave them, but Will Shortz is a gem and the theme of competition is universal. Heck, I don't usually even like documentaries, but I felt as if this funny, courteous, kind, assortment of people was inviting me into a particularly enjoyable party in which nobody was a wallflower. The film-makers deserve credit for the humor and kindness of this film, as well as for the excellent craftsmanship (and their interesting assortment of celebrity interviewees)
AD
