The Princess Bride (1987)

 



Dir: Rob Reiner
Writers: William Goldman
Starring: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Guest, Andre the Giant

A couple of months ago, my friend Jaime and I started watching Homeland and when Mandy Patinkin as Saul came on the screen I looked at her and said, "My name is Inigo Montoya! You killed my father, prepare to die!" Jaime stared back at me quizzically, and I understood the horrifying fact that she had never in her thirty five years of life seen The Princess Bride.

"Inconcievable!"

My dad happened to call me on that fateful night and also joined in my absolute astonishment. Since the following week was my birthday, he happened to send a copy of the DVD, since I had lamented my last one had been stolen (right off my DVD shelves!). I invited Jaime over recently to finally introduce her to Wesley, Princess Buttercup, and all the favorite lines I grew up with.

The movie really does stand the test of time; I remember watching it repeatedly as a kid (this, and Big). Watching it as a twenty-nine year old was just as enjoyable. Jaime and I laughed out loud, I slapped my knee a few times, I said the lines I remembered so well, I pointed out who the actors were to Jaime (that's Billy Crystal! That's Christopher Guest!), and we even thought of what a great group costume the characters of movie would make for Halloween. It was fun to rewatch it, and even more fun to watch it with someone seeing it for the first time.

The movie is a bit of a fantasy, but grounds itself with the storytelling of a grandfather (Peter Falk) to his grandson (Fred Savage). The script nor actors ever miss a beat, and the movie is a great adventure from start to finish. It defines the word enjoyable for a film!

The Best: Cary Elwes has never been as good as Wesley, though I still love Robin Hood: Men in Tights. I just love when he reveals himself to Princess Buttercup while falling down a cliff: "as youuuuu wiiiiiish!"

Fact: When Count Rugen hits Westley over the head, Cary Elwes told Christopher Guest to go ahead and hit him for real. Guest hit him hard enough to shut down production for a day while Elwes went to the hospital.

Rating: ********** (10 out of 10)