The Princess Bride - Life is Like a Storybook Story

You should see my DVD collection.  Action, adventure, love, and fantasy.  The Princess Bride is sandwiched between Willow and Mirrormask.  And I'm very happy to have it there.

Based on William Goldman's book of the same name, The Princess Bride features the beautiful Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn) and the dashing Westley (Cary Elwes).  Except he wasn't always such a good swordfighter.  They both lived on a little farm, and in hoping to seek his fortune, Wesley left and Buttercup heard he was dead and fell into a deep depression.  When Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) brings her to the castle to be his bride, she goes without a word.  But there is a foul plot afoot, and soon she is kidnapped, only to be rescued by (strangely enough) the Dread Pirate Roberts.  However, there is more to everything than meets the eye.  Is her Westley truly dead?  Who is behind the kidnapping plot?  Will true love really win in the end?

Whee!  You can't go wrong with plots like these.  Haha.

The whole story plays out from a book that is actually being read by a grandfather (Peter Falk) to his sick grandson (Fred Savage).  That makes it even more enjoyable because occasionally the grandson will interrupt with something, or the grandfather will pause to explain something, much to the grandson's exasperation.  Some of the best lines of the movie are during these little interludes; "Jesus grandpa, what'd you read me this thing for?!"

It's a really fun time.  Andre the Giant steps up as Fezzik, a strong but kindhearted, well, giant, and Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) is out for revenge as a dazzling though occasionally drunk swordsman.  Everyone bands together to create an unlikely sort of group to help take out the nasty Prince and rescue Buttercup.  And it really does have all those things I mentioned in the bottom line up there.  The special effects, though obviously dated, are still great (come on, you can't not love the Rodents of Unusual Size), and in fact, it may surprise you to know that Elwes and Patinkin really did do all that swordplay together. The makeup and music all fit together perfectly, and it has some really great lines.

"So I'm here till I die?"
"Until they kill you, yeah."
"Then why bother curing me?"
"Well, the Prince and Count always insist on everyone being healthy before they're broken."

And though it is fantasy and does have some serious parts, it's meant to be funny too, so you're certain to have plenty of laughs, even during some of the fight scenes.  It's one of those movies that just makes you feel good.  I remember watching this when I was younger and loving it.  Now I'm older, and I still love it.  It's even better because I'm old enough to not only appreciate the story, but all the lines, and all the actors playing their respective characters.  Billy Crystal even appears as Miracle Max and has plenty of hilarious banter with both the main characters as well as his wife.

So if you feel like storming a castle, trekking through a Fire Swamp, seeking out a six-fingered man for revenge, or just hearing a good story, The Princess Bride is for you.

NT

You can also enjoy the music separately!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening