The Princess Bride Synopsis: While home sick in bed, a young boy’s grandfather reads him the story of a farmboy-turned-pirate who encounters numerous obstacles, enemies and allies in his quest to be reunited with his true love.
Buttercup and Westley are in love. When Westley leaves to seek his fortune so he can be worthy of Buttercup, Buttercup gets word that he was killed at sea by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Despondent, Buttercup declares that she will “never love again”. Soon, she is betrothed to Prince Humperdink, who has secretly arranged for Buttercup’s kidnapping and murder so he can blame a nearby country and go to war. His plan is derailed by a masked man who has a connection to Buttercup and is unwilling to give her up so easily.
The Princess Bride is one of those movies that many people my age grew up on. I remember watching this fairy tale, action-adventure romance so often as a kid and later in my teen and adult years. It never gets old. I genuinely believe it’s one of the most quotable movies of all time. I turn to it on my list of “comfort movies” when I want something warm and cozy to watch.
Rob Reiner was really on a roll in the 1980s, especially between 1986 and 1990. In that timeframe, he directed The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, Misery, and A Few Good Men, as well as what is arguably the best romantic comedy of all time: When Harry Met Sally. His talent for directing romance and comedy is very evident in The Princess Bride.
It’s difficult to slap a label on the movie because it has so much of everything: drama, comedy, action, and romance. Even today there are debates about whether you could even classify The Princess Bride as a rom-com. But at the core of this movie is the love between Westley and Buttercup. It’s what drives the story more than anything else.
Robin Wright (in her movie debut) and Cary Elwes have delightful chemistry together. Even when Westley and Buttercup are apart, their love for each other is still very evident. I love the scenes with Westley, Inigo (Mandy Patinkin), and Fezzig (Andre the Giant). Three very different men with very different comedic styles, and it works. Chris Sarandon and Christopher Guest give memorable performances as two very different villains, and, of course, there is the hilarious Miracle Max scene featuring Carol Kane and Billy Crystal. Where could you possibly go wrong with this movie?
The Princess Bride delivers a little something for everyone. While the grandfather (Peter Falk) is reading the book to his grandson (Fred Savage), the grandson asks, with some disgust, “Is this a kissing book?”. By the end, he is as invested in Westley and Buttercup’s true love as anyone, and I think it’s a beautiful analogy for the varying audiences of this movie. It’s an enchanting tale with plenty of humor for adults and the kiddos.
Still, there are some touching moments, most notably from Inigo Montoya, who has spent most of his life searching for the six-fingered man who killed his father. Patinkin had lost his own father to cancer and used that grief to propel his performance. You can see a lot of that emotion in the scene where Inigo finally confronts the man who took his father from him. It’s a performance you wouldn’t exactly expect to see in a romantic comedy/fantasy, but I feel it’s arguably one of the strongest in the entire film.
It’s remarkable how well The Princess Bride holds up, even 30+ years later. The directing, the effects, and the performances… even the jokes. Every now and then, I’ll catch something in a rewatch that I might have missed before. I’ve seen The Princess Bride referred to as a “cult classic,” but I think it’s a classic, period. It has such an enduring legacy that I know will continue for 30 more years and then some.
Watched: 03/12/2021
Notable Song: Storybook Love by Mark Knopfler/Willy DeVille
