Putting something in a crossword to which some solvers may not relate is one thing. Putting in something even mildly offensive is another thing altogether, and as far as Reagle likes to push puzzle content, he has to abide by what's known to constructors as The Sunday Morning Breakfast Test. Even these days, he can't use a word or phrase that might not fly in that classic crossword-solving environment.
In the "Worst Menu Typos" puzzle, for instance (published in the Planet in June of 2000 and reproduced here), he cites an answer that "comes right up to almost crossing the Sunday Morning Breakfast Test line." (Hint: It's got something to do with seafood.)
Reagle has good reason to be so concerned that crossword fans enjoy his puzzles. Like other micro-cultures, the hardcore puzzling world is a tight-knit group, and Reagle has attained an extremely cult-ish sort of fame within it. His fans aren't faceless and remote; at events like Stamford, Connecticut's annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament — where Reagle has served as a judge for the last 26 of its 28 years — he finds himself face to face with many of them.
And thanks to Wordplay, he's becoming better known both inside and outside the crossword circle. Though it's ostensibly about the Stamford tournament, the movie is making Reagle a bit of a star.
Clue: "Inappropriate Muzak for the doctor's office"
Answer: "Killing Me Softly"
Wordplay is a documentary in the vein of recent surprise successes like 2002's Word Wars (about Scrabble tournament players) and Spellbound (about young spelling bee participants): a close-up look at real people with obscure passions, driven by those people's personalities and culminating in that passion's top competition. It's an excellent film, partly because of producer Christine O'Malley and husband/director Patrick Creadon's talents, partly because some of the real-life participants are so engaging, and partly — OK, mostly — because last year's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament just happened to end in a wonderfully suspenseful way.
"To me, it's a little movie about us, with a dramatic finish," says Reagle. "It's just something no one's seen before. Plus, the filmmakers couldn't have picked a better year to do it."
In addition to the tournament's thrilling conclusion, one of last year's judges just happened to be friends with former president Bill Clinton, who appears in the movie. He's a known crossword fanatic, whom O'Malley and Creadon had been trying to get to participate from the beginning, with no luck.
"They'd been trying to get him for months," Reagle says. "He's a speed-solver, he times himself with his watch. He uses a little 'e,' because the big 'e' has those three drag-inducing pen lifts."
In addition to Clinton, Wordplay also features celebrity appearances by Bob Dole, Jon Stewart, documentarian Ken Burns, and The Indigo Girls.
And, of course, Merl Reagle.
Reagle is featured prominently in the film — only current New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor and tournament founder Will Shortz appears more — as both expositor of crossword culture and example of top-notch constructor. He's actually shown creating a puzzle themed after the film (he said it took him a couple of hours, though if he has the time, he'll spend five or six on a crossword); these scenes provide a window into the creative process, revealing glimpses of Reagle's personal perspective on the art along the way.
"Originally it was gonna be somebody else, until they came to the tournament and realized that person was not appropriate at all," says Reagle of his role in the film, without naming names. "I met Patrick on Friday and Saturday, and I was just sort of the go-to guy."
Producer O'Malley says Reagle was "a perfect fit" for Wordplay. "He not only knows so much about puzzles, he knows a lot about movies."
Wordplay premiered at January's Sundance Film Festival, where all its screenings sold out, it was nominated for the Jury Prize in the Documentary category, and Reagle was "recognized" by a fan of the film for the first time.
"One of the guide people was a crossword fan who'd been to the tournament for four years," he says. "And I happened to step off the shuttle bus right in front of him."
Another fan was actress Glenn Close, who came up to him after a screening to praise Wordplay. She's not a puzzler herself; she'd sought out the movie simply because she'd heard the buzz.
Wordplay is currently still making the film-festival rounds, and Reagle and Haley are making at least some of the rounds along with it; having just returned from this year's tournament in Stamford, they'll head down to the Sarasota Film Festival for screenings on April 3, 6 and 8. The couple has been invited to several openings and festivals, from Orlando to Philadelphia, in the following weeks and months, though Reagle would prefer to just attend the ones in the cities where his puzzles appear.