Wordplay (2006)

First, full disclosure: I'm not a crossword puzzle fan. That didn't stop me, however, from enjoying a lot of this movie.

As a board game enthusiast, I understand the cult of special interest. I love to play. I love to talk to other people who play. I can discuss, at length, things that only other board gamers would find even the least bit interesting. But, see, that's the thing...most people don't find the subject interesting and that means I can't talk about my passion very often without boring others to tears.

That's why I liked the last part of this film so much. Here are a whole bunch of crossword puzzle nerds joyously talking about their hobby and finding themselves among others who are excited to share in the discussion. Nirvana. If I could afford to travel to a large game convention, I'd do it at LEAST annually in order to experience the same sort of camaraderie.

For me, the first part of the film was just alright. It was mildly interesting to hear about how puzzles are constructed -- less interesting to hear monologues from puzzle-solvers, both world-famous and puzzle-world-famous. I'm also sorry to say that I was almost embarrassed for Jon Stewart. I mean, I like the guy, but he seemed way too desperate to entertain. Rather than going disarmingly lowkey (as most others did), Stewart delivered what felt like a lame "bit."

B-