Think of a boy's first name in six letters. Move the first two letters to the end, and you'll get a word meaning, a bird. Then, move the first two letters of that to the end, to name a well known English writer of the past. What words are these?

Answer: The name is ERNEST. The bird is NESTER. The author is STERNE.

Word geek films have almost formed their own sub genre recently, developing a set formula that features prominent participants, elaborates on their backgrounds, and shows dramatic tournament footage. Before digital technology and computer graphics, this would have been nearly impossible to illustrate--just how to film the creative process of scrambling words is highly problematic. But we can now add Wordplay as the most light-hearted and entertaining of a trilogy of sorts—Spellbound (2002) about the national spelling bee and Word Wars (2004) about highly competitive Scrabble players being the more serious film brethren. To be sure, Wordplay also includes dramatic flare and suspense as the national championship unfolds with a few twists, but its core values rest in the fun and inventiveness of the puzzles.

Although all three documentaries similarly sketch portraits of obsessive word nerds, the people in Wordplay are far more likable. Much of that is due to the "sport" itself. Doing well at crosswords requires well-rounded individuals, who remain in touch with pop culture and humanity—mere word knowledge just isn't enough. Crosswords have their devotees—daily addicts that set aside the rest of the newspaper to “relax” with the puzzle. A cross section of age groups is shown that range from the competitive geeks that regularly solve the puzzles in rapid time to puzzle lovers who are merely satisfied to complete the puzzle over their daily coffee and find joy in discovering the subtle themes incorporated into the puzzle. Even the serious crossword puzzle players are just nicer people—their annual convention feels like a down home event, complete with amateur talent show and a good humored tournament between real human beings. Nothing as cut throat as the spelling bee parents or the Scrabble nerds, and certainly nothing like the tournament chess players that I've experienced over the years.

Much credit for that must go to head crossword guru Will Shortz himself, in his position as crossword puzzle editor of The New York Times. No debate about it--the Times is lovingly referred to by ALL film participants as the Nirvana of the crossword universe. As crossword devotee/comedian Jon Stewart declares, “I am a Times puzzle fan. I will solve the USA Today, but I don't feel good about myself.” And it is Shortz who gleefully strives to inject fun and humanity into the daily crosswords, making sure that the Monday and Tuesday puzzles are relatively easy while the Friday/Saturday puzzles are real bears that will keep minds boggled over the weekend. He also is the mastermind behind the annual convention in Stamford, Connecticut that acts as the focal point for the film.

Although director Patrick Creadon follows the standard formula for “word nerd” documentaries, he inventively engages us with a variety of visual effects to graphically illustrate the creative puzzle solving process and doesn't only remain with the serious competitors. To give insight into puzzle creation, we meet bearded Merle Reagle (who humorously notes that a well known franchise becomes “Unkind Donuts” when you move its first letter to the end). In front of the camera Reagle creates a new puzzle based on a middle phrase of “Word Play” that eventually finds its way into the New York Times.

The filmmaker subsequently incorporates clips of celebrated puzzle fans as they solve this same puzzle, including Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton, Ken Burns, New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina, and the Indigo Girls. These celebrities explain their love for the New York Times puzzle and how it challenges and relaxes or even serves as a form of meditation. But the most common thread is the absolute fun and cleverness. Clinton and Bob Dole recall an especially famous Times puzzle that had two editions that predicted which would win the presidential election. While Dole was pleased to get an early edition that used BOBDOLE, Clinton had the last laugh with the final CLINTON edition.

Creadon captures the right tone by staying close to the Shortz's spirit. After all, this creative man made up his own major of Enigmatology (puzzle making) at Indiana University, figuring on a lifetime of poverty. But it turned out extremely well, as he's been able to work for two of the world's most respected news sources, as well as have fun with his annual crossword puzzle convention. He can now add film festival stops to his itinerary, and we're all the richer for the insight into an intriguing little world bound by a grid and the human imagination.