So good, and yet, so good!

Rating: 9/10 (1 November 2002)

I don't get how some people don't understand the comedy of this movie. It's very much a fairy-tale spoof, sort of a more subtle version of Shrek. That's where much of the comedy comes from, as well as from some of the sheer silliness that provides a stark contrast to the setting and tone. I love sheer silliness, when used properly, and this movie does exactly that.
The Princess Bride is my 3rd favorite movie ever (#1 is Head, #2 is UHF), and for good reason. It is wonderfully written (by the same guy who wrote the book, thankfully), superbly directed (by the same guy who directed North, ironically), and perfectly acted (by the same people who, um, played other famous roles).
Cary Elwes (Robin Hood: Men In Tights) keeps Westly exactly where he should be, as a caring, yet caustic, hero. Robin Wright Penn (Forrest Gump) handles Buttercup wonderfully as the 'straight man' to all the off-the-wall loons she's surrounded by. Andre the Giant (WWF) shows that not all wrestlers make bad actors. Chew on that, Rock! Mandy Patinkin gives us one of the greatest film characters of all time: Inigo Montoya. NO ONE could've played that role better! Wallace Shawn (good actor in lots of bad movies) thankfully gets a good part for once as the Sicilian genius Vezzini. (Yes, Sicilians are geniuses.) Chris Sarandon (probably related to Susan) delivers Prince Humperdinck in such a way that almost seems dull at first, then you realize he's intentionally making the Prince look like cardboard, and does a great job of it. Christopher Guest makes an enjoyably hateable Count Rugen. I have great respect for actors who can make villans both delightful and despicable. Peter Falk (Columbo) serves us well as the Grandfather reading the story, and Fred Savage (Wonder Years, the Wizard) actually entertains for once, rather than annoys, as the sick Grandson.
Then there are the small parts, which manage to steal scenes from this already genius cast. Billy Crystal as Miracle Max and Carol Kane as his wife Valerie brighten the screen from beneath all that age makeup. Peter Cook is the Impressive Clergyman with the hilarious speech impediment. ("Mawaige is wat bwings us togever today.") And there's so much more.
So go ahead then, bow if you will, bow to the critics of slime, "Bride"-haters of muck! Boooooo! Because this movie is a gem. It should be cherished, not chastised. I don't mind if you don't like it, but don't tell me it's a bad film. 'Cause if The Princess Bride is a bad film, then why don't you tell me what a good film is?
No? Okay, then, "As you wish."