I've Finally Seen This 80's Classic...

Rating: 8/10 (16 January 2016)

THE PRINCESS BRIDE is one of those movies that is almost pointless to comment on because pretty much everyone has seen it, and everyone has their opinion. And yet here I am. I'd managed to go a long time without ever actually having seen the film, though I was familiar with some of it's more popular moments from their repetition and spoofing in pop culture. I also read the script as part of an assignment in college for a creative writing course but, at the time, didn't find anything particularly special about it. It just read like any other fairy tale film with some moments of appreciable comedy scattered throughout. When a friend of mine found out I hadn't seen the movie and gave me a confounded stare, I figured it was time. So finally, last year at the age of 31, I sat down to watch THE PRINCESS BRIDE andit was good. I enjoyed it. My daughter seemed to enjoy it. But neither of us had the reaction that most others seem to have in regards to Rob Reiner's 1987 fantasy/comedy. Since then, I've watched it a few more times and I'll admit it's grown on me more with each subsequent viewing. I've developed some respect for the film and I understand why it seems to have developed such a cult following. It sticks with you. I didn't think much of it when I first watched it, but now I can't go a day without mentally or verbally making reference to it.
The story is your average fairy tale: young lovers are separated, the man is thought dead and the woman is forced into a marriage engagement with a corrupt prince. The price plans to use the woman in a plot to start a war with a neighboring kingdom, and the young man returns in disguise to rescue her. Et cetera, et cetera, and they live happily ever after. But the characters themselves are just so much fun. Reiner's casting in the film is absolutely perfect. Cary Elwes and Robin Wright are the epitome of fairy tale lovers: young and beautiful, with real chemistry. And Elwes is fantastically dashing as the swashbuckling hero. As good as the two of them are, I would've much preferred an entire movie about the trio of mercenaries who kidnap Buttercup (Wright) on orders from the prince and jumpstart the plot. Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), Fezzik (André the Giant), and Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) drive the first half of the film as the mysterious "Man in Black" pursues them to retrieve our damsel in distress. I loved these guys and the first half of the movie was, in my opinion, where all the best material lies. Once it all shifts to our hero versus the corrupt Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), my interest wanes a bit. There's still some good material there but it loses a lot of the fun, fantastical parody elementsthe Cliffs of Insanity, the Fire Swamp with the R.O.U.Sthat kept me laughing along.
Despite it's minor flaws, THE PRINCESS BRIDE is undeniably a classic. It's infinitely quotable. It hits all the right buttons for a good comedy or adventure or fantasy film. And it's populated with an incredible cast. I love the 80's reliance on practical effects, from a time before CG became popular and turned everything into high-tech cartoons. The R.O.U.S. would never have been as fun a sequence if it weren't puppetry and people in suits. As fantastic as Elwes was in the hero's role, Inigo Montoya is easily my (and certainly many other's) favorite character with Fezzik in a close second. André the Giant made for the perfect simple giant with a heart of gold. His speech can be hard to understand at times, but subtitles made sure I wouldn't miss out on some of his classic lines. Chances are anyone reading this comment have already seen this movie and aren't looking to be convinced whether to watch it or not, so I'm not here to promote the film. I'm just here to admit I was mistaken in blowing off this movie for so long and I can now be counted among the myriad of PRINCESS BRIDE fans. I don't know that I'm much of a die-hard fan but it's got my massive respect for what it is and what it's become. Without a doubt, I'm sure I'll find myself quoting the film and I'll be more apt to stop and watch it when I stumble across it on television.