The most dramatic use of the word "bitch" ever.

Rating: 10/10 (9 May 1999)

This movie is a contradiction in terms. By all rationality it should not be as popular as it is. It is basically one cliche after another played out on some of the most obvious soundstages ever seen. Somehow Rob Reiner has made one of the most popular and endearing fables of all time. I still have not ruled out a pact with Satan. Somehow though, it all works brilliantly. Cary Elwes' dry humor, Mandy Patinkin's delectable portrayal of a Spaniard, Andre the Giant's paradoxical boyish charm, and Wallace Shawn's immortal use of the word "inconceivable" have made this the fairytale of the latter half of the 20th century. As always Reiner relies on the innocence of childhood to win audiences as he plays out the plot within a plot of Peter Falk reading a young, sick Fred Savage a story in a moment of grandfatherly bonding. Throw in a beautiful damsel in distress, an evil prince, a vow of revenge, a miracle man, a senile king, the greatest sword fight in cinematic history, incredibly large rodents, an abbot with a speech impediment, a holocaust cloak and a wheelbarrow, and you've got a movie that no one except those who have forgotten how to believe in fairies could dislike. The fact that the dialogue is infection only adds to the addiction. Yes, this is a ten. Why? My God I wish I could figure that out.