Innocent satire

Rating: 8/10 (20 October 2015)

I was greatly amused by Rob Reiner's "Spinal Tap," although I am no fan of low-grade touring rock bands. I am not a big fan of romantic fantasy either, but I was enchanted by Reiner's "Princess Bride." There, I said it. I never thought I would use "enchanted" in a review to describe my state of mind.
In some ways, the Princess Bride is an awkward film. I got the feeling that the Director was like a fish out of water, and Reiner confessed as much in interviews later. Yet this is exactly what makes this film so great. Reiner came at it with the innocence of a satirist thinking "Am I really doing this? Am I dreaming?" A sarcastic curmudgeon (that may be an exaggeration) finding his soft heart while directing a film. You feel like the film was a journey for its director, not just for its characters. Reiner is like the little boy unwillingly listening to grandpa's story, and wanting more, more, more despite professing he's not into "that girly stuff."
The movie resolutely goes its own way, from the silly R.O.U.S. attacking our heroes in the swamp forest, to the smart aleck who outwits himself in a deadly drinking cup game with the Errol Flynn-like hero. Nothing is quite like you would expect, leaving you shaking your head, yet smiling at the same time. William Goldman outdid himself in the script, after penning a great book. It's not often that the book translates so well, in the hands of the original author.
This and the "Wizard of Oz" are really the only films I can think of off the top of my head that bring the words "innocent" and "satirical" to my mind simultaneously. The "Oz" is a great film with Judy Garland in a great role, but on a scale divided into tenths, I have to give "PB" the same rating. They're both unique fun.