Puzzling people
By STEVE PERSALL
Published July 6, 2006
Crossword puzzle enthusiasts have the best chance to enjoy Wordplay (PG), a documentary profiling people responsible for creating mental speed bumps and others hooked on solving them. Director Patrick Creadon takes the same pragmatic approach on film that puzzlers use to fill in those symmetrical grids, resulting in a movie without much pizazz that is nonetheless interesting.
The best thing about Creadon's subjects - yet a disadvantage to the film's drama - is that everyone is so darn nice, even at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament where just one arrogant contestant could generate tension. Aside from a couple of corny costumes, these folks don't display any notable eccentricities.
It is wonderful that everyone gets along and loves their pastime but Wordplay could use some tangible conflict to become more than a pleasant distraction.
Creadon dutifully traces the history of crossword puzzling, leading to the revisionist style of Will Shortz (shown above), the New York Times crossword editor who added pop entertainment to academia. One of his most dependable puzzle constructors is Tampa resident Merl Reagle, shown creating a grid based on the film's title, later solved by celebrities including Bill Clinton and Jon Stewart while discussing their down-and-across obsessions.
Friday's Floridian will include a full review of Wordplay, an interview with Reagle and the puzzle Reagle devised in the film. B
- STEVE PERSALL, Times film critic