Not a Monty Python but definitely entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (15 November 2012)

It struck me as a combination of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' and Rob Reiner's own 'This is Spinal Tap'. While it has moments of laugh-out-loud slapstick humor like the former, also tries to invest a story of its own no matter how clichéd the characters or storyline is (of course it was intentional) as the latter. The exchanges between the kid and his grandfather starts a little disconnected but develops wonderfully as the story moves on. But Cary Elwes was the weak point as he neither has the comic timing nor the persona to pull this off.
The bride (Robin Wright) falls in love with her farm boy Westley (Cary Elwes). When Westley heads out to the world to make a living, the news of his death in the hands of a dreaded pirate devastates the bride. An egotistic and scheming Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) betroths her to hatch an evil plot. By staging an abduction and blaming the neighboring kingdom, he plans to woo his citizens to back his war. He uses the help of Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) the brains, Inigo Motoya (Mandy Patinkin) the steel and Fezzik (André the Giant) the muscle. When the dreaded pirate comes thwart his plan, it becomes personal.
Rob Reiner knows how to make a slapstick. Just like 'This is Spinal Tap', he doesn't go all out nasty - but picks the essential clichés and use it to his advantage. But the movie is far from perfect due to relatively shortage of gags where it ebbs and tides between lull and hilarity. The thread between the grandfather and kid was so important for this movie to click as they interrupt the fairytale in the exact moments where it starts to become too much or too dull. The trio of the brains, steel and muscle were so perfect together and they produce some real entertainment. Cary Elwes was missing the quality that the rest of the cast had - natural comic timing and comes off as a weakling and makes it difficult to root for him.
Not a Monty Python but definitely entertaining