Wordplay

A mini-sensation at Sundance, Wordplay is ostensibly a documentary profile of Will Shortz — the impish editor of the New York Times crossword puzzles and a cult figure among puzzle aficionados. ”He’s like the Wizard of Oz,” says first-time director Patrick Creadon. ”He’s literally the man with all of the answers.” We also see how a crossword is constructed, a cutthroat tournament that makes those Spellbound bees look like pillow fights, and even interviews with such famous puzzle addicts as Jon Stewart, Yankees ace Mike Mussina, and former president Clinton, who claims that crosswords helped him think through problems in the Oval Office.