Wordplay
Wordplay is a documentary in the same vein as Word Wars (2004) and Spellbound (2002). Wordplay takes a look behind the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament held in Stamford, Connecticut. The tournament is organized by New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor Will Shortz and was first held in 1977.
Unlike the other documentaries I mentioned, Wordplay takes advantage of some famous connections to the crossword puzzle world including comedian Jon Stewart, former president Bill Clinton, former presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bob Dole, director Ken Burns, the Indigo Girls, and New York Yankees starting pitcher Mike Mussina. These guest appearances help give the movie mass appeal. However, the movie mostly tells the story of five men and women that are competing in the 28th annual tournament, including 20-year RPI college student Tyler Hinman that is trying to become the youngest champion of the tournament in history.
The documentary peers into the lives of each of the contestants and does a great job explaining the appeal of crossword puzzles. After seeing the film, I was encouraged to try (and fail miserably at) some of the New York Times crossword puzzles.
Similar to Word Wars and Spellbound, Wordplay will take you into a territory you probably aren’t familiar with and it will make you smile, laugh, and sympathize for the contestants, Director Patrick Creadon did a great job, and I hope that he continues to make documentaries like this. Great film.
My Rating: 4.25 out of 5
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