By: Elyssa Shapiro

The documentary "Wordplay" explores the creative forces behind the New York Time's legendary crosswords and lets us into the lives of those whose passion for puzzles has led them to a top competition.

“Wordplay” is a documentary of the clever minds who construct and solve the puzzling New York Times crosswords.

The film begins by breaking down the puzzle-making process with commentaries from the puzzle master himself, Will Shortz, and his partner, Merl Reagle.

The audience is then introduced to an assortment of familiar and unfamiliar faces who all have a story about why they love the Times crosswords. Big names like Bill Clinton, Jon Stewart, and Yankee’s pitcher Mike Mussina add commentaries.

However, the documentary really focuses on the participants of the annual crossword competition in Stanford. Some are previous champions, and others young hopefuls, like a 20-year-old wiz kid named Tyler. The contestants are all preparing for the New York Times crossword champion title.

Along the way, fun factors encompassed in puzzle-solving arise, such as, depending on your confidence level, the difference between using a pen or pencil. Stewart busts out a permanent marker to show Shortz he’s not messing around. Shortz describes how he developed an entire curriculum for a major in puzzles while attending Indiana University. Reagle explains the intricate details involved in puzzle-making and how the level of difficulty determines whether it’s a Monday or a Sunday puzzle.

The inserts of various celebrities keeps things interesting, as they reflect on why they do the crosswords everyday. Stewart is hilarious. Mussina is an unexpected solver. Throw the Indigo Girls in the mix and you’ve got yourself a nice little assortment.

Meet the nerds

However, the most intriguing element of the movie is the diving into the lives’ of the contestants. All are self-professed nerds who you find yourself rooting for in the tournament. You get to know their families, careers, passions and personal reasons for being avid about the Times crosswords.

It’s impressive to watch their minds go to work as they time themselves in puzzle-solving and are disappointed when they fail to beat two minutes. The film manages to bring these geniuses, who all say it’s useless information they’ve absorbed over the years, back down to normalcy when they run to a dictionary to look up words even they never heard of.

When the big day finally comes, the joyous meetings of old friends who haven’t seen each other in years is heartwarming. Songs are sung, hugs are given and common crossword stories are exchanged. The director does a great job of capturing feeling into something an outsider may find to be a bit odd.

Want to know the ending of the movie? Click here!