Wordplay

At first, the concept of a documentary profiling New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz and his cult-like league of followers seemed the stuff of, well … seven letters, starts with B: Lacking interest. But as with generally any answer I pen in on the Friday NYT crossword … I was wrong. The primary focus of the documentary is the annual competition of crossword junkies at the Marriott in Stamford, Conn., and the borderline obsessive folks who aspire to be the premiere problem solver in the nation. Along the way we meet such aficionados of the form as Bill Clinton, documentarian Ken Burns, Jon Stewart, The Indigo Girls and Bob Dole. Also, legendary crossword constructer Merl Reagle allows the crew backstage to see how the blocks are stacked and how the inherent rules of the game are applied, and makes construction seem more engaging than the pedestrian approach of solving them.