Wordplay - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution movie review

An eight-letter word for quick-witted competition: 'Wordplay'

By BOB LONGINO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

At 20, Tyler Hinman of Troy, N.Y., is a crossword puzzle superstar.

In "Wordplay," the watchable documentary that lovingly follows the ins and outs, dos and don'ts and ups and downs of crosswording, Hinman is sitting at a computer in his frat house, banging away at a keyboard with lightning speed while filling in a New York Times puzzle.

IFC Films

'Wordplay'

B-

The verdict: A fact-filled, benevolent crossword puzzle documentary that would've benefited from one more edit.

Director: Patrick Creadon
Cast: Will Shortz, Merl Reagle, Jon Stewart, Ken Burns, Indigo Girls
Run time: 84 minutes
Release date: June 16, 2006
Rating: PG for mild language.
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Puzzle Potentate
Meet Will Shortz, editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle and NPR Puzzle Master.

On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
Trailers require Quicktime

"There aren't too many people my age who do crosswords at all, let alone as fast as I can do them," he claims.

Trouble is, Hinman has quickly typed in an answer for one of the across clues and moviegoers with quick eyes will notice it reads, "oldwivestile."

Clearly, young Hinman means "oldwivestale," but "Wordplay" moves on, wasting no time waiting for the correction.

A slight error, you say? No big deal?

Ah, but in this particular land of exactitude , tiny mistakes like that can cost national titles. Like those mighty prepubescent souls who miss a single letter in the National Spelling Bee, the dreaded bell might as well sound, because a single crossword mistake usually means doom.

"Wordplay" is dramatic, especially for those moviegoers who tax their brains working crosswords. And while this documentary doesn't prove that the number of crossword enthusiasts is large, it underlines the fact that their company is stellar.

President Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, Ken Burns and the Indigo Girls are a few of the notables who appear and discuss the thrill, complications and satisfaction of working crosswords.

You meet Merl Reagle of New Jersey, who constructs puzzles (his living room wall is adorned with a giant puzzle; answers filled in, of course). And Al Sanders of Colorado, who demonstrates how to quickly fill in a typical crossword. He does it in 2 minutes and 2 seconds.

Plus, you're introduced to the nation's ultimate puzzle guru, New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz.

He tells contenders at the national tournament that they are about to start "a puzzle that's going to rip your heart out."

Like the intensity of that phrase, "Wordplay" speaks best to those deeply initiated into the coven of crossworders. It's a nicely made film, but one that starts to feel long after its initial hour.

"Wordplay" will remind some of "Spellbound." But while the nearly robotic subjects of the spelling bee documentary have an air of cuteness about them, the mature adults in "Wordplay" carry a heavier price for being, well, nerds.

In one scene, former national tournament champion Ellen Ripstein marches through New York in the rain, hoisting a half-broken umbrella over her head. She seems oblivious to the pitiful picture she paints.

But Ripstein still knows how to defend herself. She relates how her ex-boyfriend kept putting her down for devoting so much time to crossword puzzles.

Her bull's-eye reply: "What are you the best in the country at?"