The Princess Bride
Composite Score: 84.03
Starring: Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Andre the Giant, Fred Savage, Peter Falk, Peter Cook, Mel Smith, Carol Kane, and Billy Crystal
Director: Rob Reiner
Writer: William Goldman
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Romance
MPAA Rating: PG
Box Office: $30.90 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Princess Bride is the cult classic Rob Reiner adaptation of William Goldman’s novel The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, The “Good Parts” Version. The film is presented as a grandfather reading a classic fantasy novel to his grandson when the boy is sick one day. The story in the novel (which unfolds onscreen) follows Buttercup (Robin Wright) and Westley (Cary Elwes) and the story of the true love that blossoms between them and the lengths they go to in order to maintain it. Like the grandfather promises at the start of the film, it features “fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles…” – all with the tongue-in-cheek self-awareness that only Rob Reiner could bring to a 1980s fantasy film. One of the most quotable films ever made, this cult classic remains consistently toward the top of most people’s lists of greatest fantasy films of all time for very good reason.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
For my part, I struggle to come up with a great reason to skip The Princess Bride – it’s just that good. To adapt a quote from Westley, “There’s a shortage of perfect [films] in this world,” and this one happens to be one of them. The real issue holding it back from being higher up in these rankings is its nature as a cult classic (missing out on most awards love) and as a genre film (meaning that not everyone feels as strongly about it as I do). After reading through some negative IMDB reviews, here is what I can tell you for anyone who doesn’t like it: You should know that you are getting into a cheesy riff on 1980s fantasy, elevated by its witty dialogue and iconic characters. This is not trying to reinvent the fantasy genre or give some nuanced take on romance. It is quite simply an encapsulation of the world as we know it, viewed with the mildest sense of childlike wonder.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
The Princess Bride is nostalgia incarnate – capturing the essence of a child’s understanding of the world in a film full of humor and themes that adults probably appreciate better than their younger counterparts. From the iconic dialogue and one-liners throughout to the memorable characters that deliver them, The Princess Bride remains one of the most rewatchable and rewarding films of all time. The more obvious “As you wish”, “Inconceivable”, and “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya…” might hold their own shelves in the archives of greatest movie quotes of all time, but the rest of the script is just as full of memorable material – “Is this a kissing book?”, “You’ve fallen for one of the classic blunders,” “Mawwiage…”, “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something,” “Good luck storming the castle,” etc. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
The characters as well, archetypal though they may be, are among the most memorable in film. Andre the Giant’s Fezzik, Mangy Patinkin’s Inigo Montoya, and Wallace Shawn’s Vizzini are the quintessential team of kidnappers and challenges for a hero. Chris Sarandon’s Prince Humperdinck is every bit the overpowered yet underwhelming rich villain that you want in these films. Robin Wright’s Buttercup is one of the more empowered damsels in distress in film’s history while still technically fitting the archetype. Cary Elwes as Westley makes perfect sense, holding his own with every opponent, primarily thanks to his wit and charm. Even Fred Savage is so memorable as the grandson that Deadpool used him for the ill-advised PG-13 release of Deadpool 2. It’s an all-star character roster, and I’m glad that it exists.
For all the classic and iconic films of the 1980s, The Princess Bride stands above them all – full of iconic characters and even more iconic lines, it has cemented its place in film history and on this list of Greatest Films of All Time. Viewers not fully prepared for the type of film they are getting into might be thrown for a bit of a loop if they go in blind expecting the comedic predecessor to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy or something, but most should find that this is a film they will watch and rewatch for years to come. If you don’t own it, this film is currently available to stream on Disney+, so what are you waiting for?
