Wordplay


Rating = B+

I disagree with the critics who suggest this movie is patterned on “Spellbound” other than it is about another obsessive group of people competing in the (nominally) word domain. I also disagree with the idea that the film is for people interested in crossword puzzles; I have no interest in crossword puzzles but enjoyed this movie (maybe it it for people who are interested in people who are obsessive about something).

Knowing nothing about the crossword puzzle tradition, I learned some interesting facts about puzzle construction and about the types of people who are good at crossword puzzle solving. And the movie did a good job of showing us the competitors' progress in solving puzzles during the annual competition — who knew that crossword puzzles could be a spectator sport. The back stories about half a dozen of the competitors were excellent. The interviews with the celebrity solvers could have been shorter. As one critic said, this movie is showing us the family of people who share an obsession and high level skill with crossword puzzles.

[2006-07-01]