MOVIE REVIEW

This profile of competitive puzzling's masters makes it all look, well, exciting.

By Kevin Crust, Times Staff Writer

What else would a guy who majored in enigmatology — the study of puzzles — end up doing in life but become the New York Times Crossword editor? Will Shortz, a graduate of Indiana University where he designed his own curriculum, is also a regular Sunday morning National Public Radio contributor, director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and the subject of Patrick Creadon and Christine O'Malley's delightful documentary, "Wordplay."

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Cleverly constructed, the film profiles Shortz and an interesting cross-section of players, explicates the activity's brain-twister appeal and chronicles the down-to-the-wire excitement of the 2005 tournament — the Super Bowl of crossword.

As the puzzle guru to millions of newspaper readers and public radio listeners, Shortz is held in deity-like reverence, reflected in interviews with celebrity puzzlers such as "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart, filmmaker Ken Burns, New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina, folk singers Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls and former political adversaries Bill Clinton and Bob Dole.

If you are a devotee of crosswords, you will find yourself actively trying to solve the clues that appear on-screen as Shortz and Merl Reagle, a professional puzzle constructor, provide a fascinating glimpse into the hows and whys of puzzle-building. Even if you've never done a crossword in your life or been frustrated by the attempt, you will likely be drawn into this intriguing world through the enthusiasm expressed by its adherents.

Despite the focus on Shortz and the presence of famous practitioners, the real stars are the five individuals who eventually compete in the tournament, held annually in Stamford, Conn., that forms the film's final third. The five are extremely intelligent, and each displays the tics and traits that allow them to excel. Ellen Ripstein, a New York City editor, Colorado product manager Al Sanders, New York musician Jon Delfin, Rensselaer Polytechnic student Tyler Hinman and Trip Payne, a professional crossword constructor from Florida, are familiar characters by the time we reach the competition and we are fully invested in the outcome.

Director Creadon and producer O'Malley employ Brian Oakes' sophisticated graphics to make the building and solving of puzzles come alive on the screen. The speed at which the highest-level players work the crosswords is both invigorating and slightly depressing to anyone who has spent the better part of a morning struggling to complete a puzzle. The best players can knock out the New York Times Monday puzzle — it increases in difficulty throughout the week — in a couple of minutes.

As Jeffrey Blitz did with the National Spelling Bee in the 2002 documentary, "Spellbound," Creadon and O'Malley have given competitive crossword-puzzle solving the ferment of a sporting event. Serious players train like Olympians, and the tension builds as the tournament reaches the climactic championship round.

Perhaps the film's most significant achievement is the way it takes what is generally a solitary activity and explores its communal aspects. Whether it's simply the knowledge that others enjoy the same challenging task or the actual gathering of like-minded individuals at the Marriot in Stamford each year, there's comfort in knowing you are not alone.

'Wordplay'

MPAA rating: PG for some language and mild thematic elements.