film | Read the dictionary, then see the movie

I fancy myself a decent wordsmith, but I sure can't hold an Aim-N-Flame to the puzzle junkies of WORDPLAY, a breezy little documentary in which solving the trickiest Sunday New York Times crossword in less than two minutes takes on the importance of ending world hunger. Unabashed in their word-nerdery, these men and women are excitedly readying for the 28th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament — referred to as "an orgy of puzzling" by one left-brainiac — and director Patrick Creadon follows the enthusiastic hopefuls as they hone their skills, remember the close calls and upsets of years past, and expound on their delightfully geeky affinity. "I've always been intrigued by the letter Q," says Trip Payne, the defending champ. The best bets to nab his title include: Al Sanders, a genial project manager at Hewlitt-Packard who perpetually places third; Tyler Hinman, a college-kid whiz whose victory could set an age record; and Ellen Ripstein, known as "the Susan Lucci of crosswords" because her 2001 victory came after 17 consecutive losses. They're all characters, as in 10-letter word for amusing or interesting people, usually with many quirks.

Into the tourney business, Creadon mixes interviews with famous folks — Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, Jon Stewart, the Indigo Girls, Mike Mussina — who relate their own love of the craft. But aside from an anecdote relating to a genius series of two-way Times crossword clues published the day of the 1996 presidential election — here's where you realize how deliciously crafty the guys who create these puzzles can be — these cute but unnecessary bits aren't as tasty as the competition storyline, which contains more humor (the laugh-with-them variety), suspense (a gasp-for-air shock in the finals), and baton-twirling (courtesy of a downtime talent show) than you might expect. This event is the brainchild of Times puzzle editor Will Shortz, the only person in the nation with a degree (from Indiana University) in "enigmatology." He'd appear to have the coolest job in the world were it not for Merl Reagle, a career puzzle constructor who looks to be having oodles of fun as he finesses scribal stymies around a black-and-white grid. "Words like urine and enema are terrific because they pack a lot of vowels in five letters," he says. When (and if) I grow up, I want to be him. B+