Written by: Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com

Are you into the New York Times crossword puzzles? Then this documentary is for you, but you don't have to be a clever intellectual or word nerd to find it fascinating.

It's a peek inside the 28th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournment, the nation's oldest and largest competition, in Stamford, Connecticut. Dozens of sedentary contenders work six puzzles on Saturday and have the opportunity to participate in a 45-minute seventh puzzle on Sunday. Only the three highest scorers up to that point qualify for the challenging 15-minute finale.

Pivotal to all this is mustachioed New York Times crossword-editor Will Shortz, who concocted his own college major, "enigmatology" (the study of puzzles), and hosts National Public Radio's "Puzzle Master."

Co-writer/director Patrick Creadon explores the history and significance of crossword puzzles and persuades brainiac Merl Reagle create a puzzle using the film's title as a theme, while explaining the rules for making crossword puzzles, including lateral symmetry and a maximum ratio of black to white space.

Creadon then follows a world-class group of devotees, including baton-twirling editor Ellen Ripstein, laid-back Al Sanders, word-whiz Trip Payne, pianist Jon Delfin and gifted prodigy Tyler Hinman.

Surrounded as we are by high-tech gadgetry, there's something quiet and quaint about patiently filling in grids of blank boxes with carefully chosen words. It's an addictive hobby shared by comedian Jon Stewart, folk singers Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of the Indigo girls, filmmaker Ken Burns, Senator Bob Dole, New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Wordplay" is a brain-busting, amusing 8, doing for puzzlers what "Spellbound" did for spelling bees and "Mad Hot Ballroom" did for dance competitions.