I love word games, trivia, puzzles, crosswords, and the like, but I was still surprised by how much I enjoyed “Wordplay,” a movie about New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz and the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Much like Spellbound, another words-focused movie I loved, it manages to be fascinating and suspenseful—seeing how a puzzle is created, watching various celebrities (Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton, Mike Mussina) attempt to solve the same crossword, and following the top contenders for the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. My crossword skills hover at People magazine level (I'm working toward USA Today), so I’m in awe of anyone who attempts the NYT crosswords—and solves them! But this movie inspired me to give them a try, although I’ll definitely be starting on a Monday.
My favorite story from the movie involved a crossword from Election Day 1996. The clue was tomorrow’s headline--seven letters for the first part, seven letters for the second. The second word was elected, but the first could be either Bob Dole or Clinton. Love it!
2 comments:
I recently saw that movie as well. How awesome was that Election Day puzzle? My best friend is really into crosswords, so I bought her the DVD for Christmas last year.
I loved both "Wordplay" and "Spellbound" - we must have similar tastes in documentaries!! Yayyyy.
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