Princess Bride

A boy (Fred Savage) is home sick, and to his dismay, his grandfather (Peter Falk) has come to read him a fairy tale. It's the story of the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright) who falls for farmboy "As you wish" Westley (Cary Elwes). He goes off to make his fortune, but after news of his death, Buttercup is being married off to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). Then the princess bride gets kidnapped by three rogues (Wallace Shawn, Mandy Patinkin, André the Giant).

This is possibly the best fairy tale reimagining ever. Peter Falk's feign indifference narration sets off the great adventure, and Fred Savage has just the best balance. Director Rob Reiner has put together all the fairy tale snippets and create something even better. The characters are memorable. And who could forget the fun that Wallace Shawn has choosing the poison drink. Mandy Patinkin is absolutely amazing as the swordsman seeking revenge from the six finger man. And there will never be another André the Giant.

This film is an intelligent, sardonic send up of several genres that pokes fun (affectionately) at fairy tales, swashbucklers, love stories and basic conventions of film. One of my favorite scenes is where Inigo Montoya first confronts his quarry after years of searching. His adversary does the unexpected-and what most villains in real life WOULD do under the same circumstances, with hilarious results in the scene. Basil Rathbone probably whirled in his grave!

Not by any means Citizen Kane (we already have one of those, anyway) but a champ in its weight class, with a perfect score, a fine script and good performances. Far more true to the flavor of the original fairy tales that it spoofs than even the best of Disney's takes. I loved it the first time I saw it and love it more now. Well worth watching. Recommended.

There's enough reviews here to show how enjoyable and entertaining this movie is, but I had to put my own word in...

I simply love this movie. I watched it with my parents when I was very young, and have been watching it constantly ever since. It's a movie that I just can't seem to grow tired of. For one, I absolutely love the medieval fantasy genre, both in books and movies. From a small child I've loved knights, castles, dragons. the whole sort. This movie, quite simply, puts the viewer into an imaginative world where everything seems real. Second, the characters are so enjoyable to watch, you really begin to feel for them - all of them. Even humperdink, whose name does him justice, gets pity at the end. Lastly, the grandfather's list of the qualities of the book at the very beginning are all true... this story has everything. That is why it is such a classic, when everything comes down to it. From the moving love story between Wesly and Buttercup, to the dynamic and brilliantly scripted duel between the Man in Black and Indigo, to even the hilarious bickering from Vezinni to his lovable giant, Fezzik... This movie finds a place to include EVERYTHING one can imagine. The story moves along at a great pace, and you feel as though the whole land has been covered when the book is closed. Furthermore, the whole conception of using the "telling a story" approach doesn't taken away from the realism of the story, but raises it even more by showing how mesmerized the boy is, listening to the tale - just as we are, in front of the screen.

Maybe it was how I was captivated to the screen, watching it as a child... Maybe it was how I'd pop the movie in and turn a boring Sunday afternoon an exciting adventure as I grew up... Or maybe it's how I can sit down with friends and all enjoy the movie together, laughing at its funny parts, and cheering at it's exciting moments. The movie has a place in my heart, and that will never go away. A "10" on the scale, and even these words, can't begin to tell how much I love this movie.

I'm not exactly sure what exactly it is that makes The Princess Bride such a spectacular film. Or, at the very least, I just can't pinpoint a single characteristic about it that really rises above all others as the main reason that no one should miss it. Indeed, it has a title that should prove to be remarkably uninteresting to the typical action adventure fan (okay, MALE action adventure fan), but even the most die-hard Die Hard fan would love this film. It is extremely important not to judge this film just because it has such a flowery and dangerously (at the risk of sounding shallow) girly name, because it is full of wonderful adventure and even some good killing and violence. Does this belong in this kind of romantic comedy? Absolutely! The cover box of the film looks like that of a cheesy romance novel, but the film is truly great from start to finish. And, indeed, the film is very aware of the superficial impression that it leaves, and it even presents it directly through Fred Savage's initial response to his grandfather reading him the story. But as the film goes on, we begin to have the same reaction that Fred has. We can't get enough.

Cary Elwes delivers by far the most outstanding performance of his career as Westley, the love-struck servant to Buttercup, a beautiful blonde woman living in a misty romantic fantasy world. Sadly, Elwes' later career has been punctuated by roles that do not serve him well, especially after such a stunning performance in this role. Liar Liar and Twister come immediately to mind. Robin Wright also gives one of the best performances of her career in her film debut here as Princess Buttercup, but the real quality of the performances that makes the movie so great is the fact that they were able to pack the film full of comic relief (it was nearly nonstop from start to finish) without taking anything away from the tension or the overall respectability of the film. It is interesting to consider the polar opposite effect of the comic relief on the vast majority of the James Bond films. Wallace Shawn is absolutely hilarious as Vizzini, the bonehead villain who is completely convinced that he has the whole world figured out, Andre the Giant delivers a lumbering but highly impressive performance as Vizzini's enormous, idiot sidekick, and by far my favorite of all, Mandy Patinkin creates one of the most entertaining and likeable characters created in a film in the entire decade of the 1980s (`My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!').

This is great stuff. Told as a story read from a book, just like The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride provides a magical mix of romance and fantasy and action and comedy to provide an enormously entertaining film for moviegoers of all ages. The Princess Bride is an absolutely wonderful film that is truly not to be missed.

Princess Bride is something that is really special. It is well designed, well directed and well acted. Rob Reiner is a very good director indeed, directing films like Stand By Me and all that. The film itself is beautiful, with lovely sets and costumes, matched with a funny and touching script, not to mention quotable. The story was simple, but very well-developed, with a few surprises here and there. As for the acting, it is superb. Cary Elwes is a very charismatic lead as Westley, and Robin Wright gives a very spirited performance as Princess Buttercup. Chris Sarandon is a little annoying, but he has some delicious throw-away lines, so you warm to him, especially when Westley insults him at the end. Wallace Shawn, Andre the Giant and Christopher Guest(who bares a mere resemblance to Tim Curry's Cardinal Richelieu) were very good too, as is an unrecognisable Billy Crystal. And Mandy Patinkin is deliciously hammy as the man who wishes to avenge his father's death by killing his six-fingered murderer. But what impressed me most were the funny interruptions with the grandfather(played wonderfully by Colombo's Peter Falk)and his sick grandson(Fred Savage). All in all, an original and funny movie that is a must see. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox.