| Eminently quotable and
utterly loveable... "The Princess Bride" has grown into one of my very
favorite films of all time. It is one of the ultimate cinematic
fairy tales with a classic love story that will have girls weeping and
guys pretending not to. That first paragraph makes it sound like a
gushy emotional epic. However, the fact is that this is also one
of the funniest films of the 1980's. The comedic lines are so
well written and delivered with such perfect timing that they hold up
brilliantly in repeated viewings. It is no wonder that this film
has become renowned as a modern classic.
All that praise may be shocking when you consider that this was a
relatively small film back in 1987. Its status has grown
exponentially over the years, becoming one of the most televised and
rented films of the past decade.
The film is bookended and occasionally interrupted by a narrating
grandfather (Peter Falk) telling the bedtime story to his grandson
(Fred Savage). That story tells the romantic adventures of
Westley and Buttercup. Along the bumpy and curvy road to their
ultimate happy ending, they encounter literally dozens of bizarre and
unique characters, each with their own story to tell.
I imagine that 99% of people reading this review will have already
seen the film many times, which makes a plot re-cap highly
unnecessary. So I will revert to highlighting my favorite
moments in the film.
I was thrilled by Mandy Patinkin's fantastic character, Inigo,
whose quest to avenge his fathers death is one of the many threads
followed by this film. His scenes are wonderful. I
especially liked the sword fight with Westley's man in black.
My very favorite moment in the film is the "poison stand-off" with
Wallace Shawn's Vizzini. "Inconceivable!" -- "I do not think
that word means what you think it means." The "battle of wits"
is one of the best movie moments of the eighties.
The romance. The all-star cast. The great writing.
The memorable scenes. Everything adds up to perfection.
"The Princess Bride" is a classic in every sense of the word and
deserves a place in my top ten films from that decade.
This is the perfect film to watch when you are sick, or lonely, or
sad, or in love, or when wistful. It is an ideal date movie.
It is a great holiday season movie. It is charming and
hilarious, all at once. |
