Crossword puzzle fanatics everywhere will appreciate director Patrick Creadon’s lively, oddly exhilarating love letter to the English language and those who revere it. Centering on peerless puzzle maker Will Shortz - the New York Times crossword editor for the past 12 years - Wordplay spotlights a number of highly skilled crossword pros, who are seen competing in the film’s climax, which unfolds at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, Connecticut.

We learn that Wordplay attracts a diverse group of celebrities, including former president Bill Clinton, the Indigo Girls, Jon Stewart, filmmaker Ken Burns, and even Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina, all of whom praise the Times puzzle as the crossword addict’s gold standard.

Creadon takes pains to avoid condescension or snobbery while training his camera on subjects with sharp wits and endearing eccentricities. Much like the similarly engrossing 2002 documentary Spellbound, Wordplay casts fascinating light on our dual obsession with both. (Barnes & Noble)

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The linguistic ballet of the crossword puzzle and the obsessive minds that wrestle with them are a source of delight in the charming documentary Wordplay. Though there’s no story, the movie has a definite hero: Will Shortz, the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, universally acknowledged as the pinnacle of crosswords.

Shortz comes across as clever but modest; though he’s at the top of his particular world, he retains a bemused perspective on that world’s limitations. Though speckled with celebrities from former President Bill Clinton to the Indigo Girls, the most engaging interviews are with puzzle creator Merl Reagle (who gives a fascinating on-screen demonstration of how he starts making a puzzle) and the witty and garrulous commentary by the former public editor for the Times, Daniel Okrent.

Like many recent documentaries, Wordplay is built around a competition: The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, an annual event started by Shortz and embraced by people who have devoted an alarming amount of their brain space to filling squares with letters. Though the movie is not as emotionally involving as Spellbound - still the ne plus ultra of nerdy documentaries - Wordplay’s window into its particular subculture will be enjoyable to non-crossword fans. (Amazon)