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Wordplay

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Wordplay (2006)

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Reviews Counted:117

Fresh:111

Rotten:6

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: You see them hunched over with their brows furrowed, folded newspaper in hand as they attempt to complete the crossword puzzle. This may even describe you. This ingeniously edited documentary introduces viewers to some of the more dedicated fans of this solitary pastime, none more well-known the puzzle editor for the New York Times, Will Shortz. This underground world provides a surprising amount of crowd-pleasing entertainment and suspense, especially at the annual crossword tournament. Didn't know there was one, did you?

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some language and mild thematic elements

Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

Genre: Musical & Performing Arts

Theatrical Release:Jun 16, 2006 Limited

Box Office: $2,857,745

Synopsis: Inky-fingered New York Times readers love the mind-bending crossword puzzles lovingly curated for the paper by longstanding contributor Will Shortz. There are few things more satisfying than... Inky-fingered New York Times readers love the mind-bending crossword puzzles lovingly curated for the paper by longstanding contributor Will Shortz. There are few things more satisfying than completing one of Shortz's puzzles, and a cult has sprung up around the enigmatic crossword compiler as Times readers put pen to paper and attempt to pick his brains. Director Patrick Creadon has capitalized on this phenomenon with the film WORDPLAY, a genial documentary based on Shortz and his devoted followers. Creadon begins by tracing Shortz's unusual ascent to his tenure at the Times, creating a picture of an easygoing, well-liked, and respected man. Creadon also takes viewers on a trip to the 28th annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, a geek haven where Shortz assumes godlike status. Indeed, it was Shortz himself who created the contest, and he still presides over it, demonstrating a great deal of affection for the tournament and its participants. As we witness the various eccentrics battling it, some of Shortz's celebrity fans get plenty of camera time, THE DAILY SHOW's Jon Stewart and former president Bill Clinton among them. Clinton even recalls an amusing occasion when a particularly tricky election-day puzzle left readers wondering whether "Clinton" or "Bob Dole" was the seven-letter solution to one of Shortz's clues--in fact some clever juggling of letters meant that both answers could have been correct. An enjoyable movie that even manages to make the crossword tournament a gripping affair, WORDPLAY succeeds largely thanks to its immensely likeable central figure and the behavior of the kooky contestants at the tournament. [More]

Starring: Mike Mussina, Will Shortz, Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton

Starring: Mike Mussina, Will Shortz, Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton, Ken Burns, Bob Dole

Director: Patrick Creadon

Director: Patrick Creadon
Screenwriter: Christine O'Malley
Producer: Patrick Walsh
Studio: IFC Films

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Release:

Nov 7, 2006

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Reviews for Wordplay

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Patrick Creadon's documentary about the New York Times crossword puzzle's creators and fans is a positively joyful movie that will appeal even to audiences who have little affinity for the mind-bending puzzles.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/23/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peter Keough
Peter Keough
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: NPR.org | comment Comment
10/18/08
Bob Mondello
Bob Mondello
NPR.org

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Jonathan Kiefer
Jonathan Kiefer
Sacramento News & Review

Similar in structure to the recent movie Spellbound, Wordplay is a fun documentary about an American institution and national habit.

Full Review Source: Paste Magazine | comment Comment
06/08/08
Robert Davis
Robert Davis
Paste Magazine

This movie is done so well that even if you're like me and don't do crossword puzzles, you'll still be entertained.

Full Review Source: Three Movie Buffs | comment Comment
12/30/06
Scott Nash
Scott Nash
Three Movie Buffs

Director Patrick Creadon has turned crossword puzzling into a spectator sport.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
11/30/06
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

Boy, was I wrong. There's more palm-sweating suspense in one minute of this baby than in all of The Omen.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
11/24/06
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A five-letter synonym for this movie: Zzzzz.

Full Review Source: EDGE Boston | comment Comment
11/14/06
Phil Hall
Phil Hall
EDGE Boston

Where Wordplay wins is not so much in the contest footage, but in its interviews with average, everyday crossword puzzle junkies.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
11/12/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Intriguing, surprising and stimulating, Wordplay is much more than a documentary about a crossword tournament. Anyone who is remotely interested in the English language will be fascinated

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
11/10/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

Wordplay gave me new respect for the intelligence of those who solve them well, and admiration for those who create them.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
11/06/06
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
10/27/06
Sydney Morning Herald

Their world of puzzles is like an alternate universe and this film offers a window into it.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
10/24/06
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

As pleasant and good-natured as Wordplay is, it's not exactly potent stuff

Full Review Source: Perihelion Journal | comment Comment
10/14/06
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Perihelion Journal

Even though these puzzles are mapped out with utmost precision -- and even though logic is an extremely useful tool for solving them -- they're still, somehow, objects of intrigue and mystery.

Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
10/07/06
Stephanie Zacharek
Stephanie Zacharek
Salon.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A wonderful little documentary that seems fascinated with humanity.

Full Review Source: Norman Transcript | comment Comment
08/30/06
Jim Chastain
Jim Chastain
Norman Transcript

isn't the nail-biter that the 2003 spelling-bee documentary 'Spellbound' was (but) Creadon and editor Doug Blush successfully build suspense and find unexpected drama and comedy in the competition.

Full Review Source: Kalamazoo Gazette | comment Comment
08/18/06
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

So there's this new documentary about crossword puzzles . . . WAIT, get back here!

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
07/20/06
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

Cleverly devised and creatively made in ways that ought to make its subject accessible to anyone.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
07/19/06
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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