STUFF YOU GOTTA WATCH - The Princess Bride

THE PRINCESS BRIDE

(1987)
With Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Peter Cooke, Mel Smith, Peter Falk, Fred Savage
Directed by Rob Reiner
Reviewed by JB

     An affectionate and humorous send-up of fairy tales and swashbucklers, wittily adapted by screenwriter William Goldman from his own book and directed with just the right tongue-in-cheek touch by Rob Reiner. Reiner's direction and Goldman's script are two great strengths, but the film really works because of the superb cast, headed by Cary Elwes as the devilishly handsome farmboy Wesley and Robin Wright as the beautiful Princess Buttercup. Mandy Patinkin steals the film from the two leads frequently as swordsman Inigo Montoya, who, with his trusty giant friend Fezzik (Andre the Giant), attempts to track down the villain who killed his father. Wallace Shawn has a classic scene as a villain so clever ("Plato, Aristotle, Socrates... morons!"), he overthinks himself into an early grave. And Billy Crystal is at his best as the Methusaleh-like Miracle Max in a scene so funny, it almost feels flown in from a more raucous comedy.

     THE PRINCESS BRIDE is one of the most quotable films of the 1980s, and if you don't believe me, here's just a handful of memorable examples:

    "You seem like a decent fellow. I hate to kill you."
    "You seem like a decent fellow: I hate to die."

    "No more rhyming! I mean it!"
    "Anybody want a peanut?"

    "The King's stinking son fired me, and thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. While you're at it, why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it?"

    "Tyrone, you know how much I love watching you work, but I've got my country's 500th anniversary to plan, my wedding to arrange, my wife to murder and Guilder to frame for it; I'm swamped."

     Unlike a Mel Brooks or Monty Python genre parody, THE PRINCESS BRIDE is not all just gags. It is a love story, a swashbuckling adventure, a slapstick comedy and a children's fairy tale all at once. In fact, THE PRINCESS BRIDE works on so many levels, it's guaranteed to leave some viewers scratching their heads wondering what the heck it is all about. But for many, THE PRINCESS BRIDE is a film that rivals THIS IS SPINAL TAP as Reiner's best. - JB

ADD ANOTHR QUOTE AND MAKE IT A GALLON

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."