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Inky-fingered NEW YORK TIMES readers often
love to attempt 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 around 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
someone like 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 out in an attempt to be the
28th winner of the contest, some of Shortz's celebrity fans
get plenty of camera time, with THE DAILY SHOW's Jon Stewart
and former president Bill Clinton among them. Clinton even
recalls an amusing occasion when a particularly tricky
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 suceeds largely thanks to its
immensely likeable central figure and the behavior of the
kooky contestants at Shortz's annual tournament.
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