Wordplay 2006
This is a movie about the New York Times crossword puzzle. It approaches the subject from a few different angles. First, they talk to the editor, Will Shortz, along with one of the frequent contributors. They talk to some celebrities who like to solve crossword puzzles, including Jon Stewart and Bill Clinton. Lastly, they follow some expert puzzle solvers as they get ready to go the national crossword championships where they compete based on speed and accuracy.
It is somewhat interesting to see how puzzles are created. It is definitely a skill and these people are the best at it. These aren’t the puzzles your 4th grade teacher made: there are certain rules that are followed like the size, percentage of white space, etc. Also the Times publishes easier puzzles earlier in the week. In one case the puzzle writer needed to see if “redtop” was a word. So he just looked it up in the dictionary. It turned out to be some obscure type of grass. He felt comfortable about it. But I think he missed a chance since the “Red Top” I’ve heard of is “Red Top Mountain,” which might be too obscure outside of Georgia.
The celebrities are okay. But it isn’t much fun watching someone solve a crossword puzzle or even talking about one. Stewart hams it up and Clinton is all folksy but bragging about it. We all know people who like crossword puzzles, so I don’t think that was all that exciting.
The bulk of the movie follows five or so likely finalists before (I guess) the crossword championship. A couple are former champs, one is an up-and-comer who attends college, and another is a perennial finalist who never wins. Unlike the similar Spellbound of a few years previous, these aren’t nerdy kids practicing incredibly hard. These are just nerdy grownups who do the crossword every day and try to do it as quickly as possible. Don’t get me wrong, they are very, very good. The Times rates puzzles by how many minutes they should take (20 minutes, say) and I can never finish one that fast. These people finish them in under five minutes. And they don’t miss anything. Still, not that exciting. They get to the tournament and there is some definite drama, along with even more crossword geeks.
Anyway, what I’m saying is that although the movie is interesting, it isn’t particularly interesting. I didn’t get as involved in the main players and the movie didn’t make solving crossword puzzles seem that much more exciting. It is as interesting as any movie about a hobby can be, but if you aren’t passionate about the subject, this probably won’t change your mind. B-.
Written: 13 Aug 2007