Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

How can you not love a movie like the princess bride? It has witty humor, touching parts, it’s fun, adventurous, and clean. It may be a bit cheesy at parts, but that is part of it’s charm. I wish that they made more movies like this, it’s clean enough for kids, but engaging enough for adults.

Chances are, you have seen this film. However, if you have not, you really need to get your hands on a copy and take it in! It’s a true gem of a film. The movie is about a kid who is sick so his grandfather comes in to read him a story, and we get to hear the story. The movie is really more about the story than it is about the sick kid and his granddad, however both parts of the story are charming.

Fred Savage plays the part of the sick child, and Peter Falk plays the part of the loving grandfather reading a very entertaining book. The story is about true love, particularly that love between Buttercup (Robin Wright), a beautiful peasant girl and her servant Wesley (Cary Elwes) whom she calls Farm Boy. The beginning is a little cheesy, but suffice to say, they are in love, get separated, bad stuff happens, and they somehow overcome the bad stuff by love.

The best part of this movie are all the wonderful characters. There is the bald Sicilian Vizzini played by Wallace Shawn who finds himself so brilliant that anytime anything happens in his life which he did not think would happen it becomes, “INCONCIEVABLE.” He ends of fighting a battle of wits to the death with Wesley in which he is bested by his own cockiness. Very amusing.

There is also Fezzik played by Andre the Giant. Despite the fact that it is very difficult to understand this very large man, you cannot help but feel like pulling for this lovable giant. His character is very gentle despite being so large and imposing. A very fun and unusual character.

Another great character is Inigo Montoya, played by Mandy Patinkin. He is searching for the six fingered man who killed his father. This quest brings about one of the most easily quoted movie lines of all time. The line is what Inigio plans to say to his father’s killer when he confronts him face to face, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father. Prepare to die!” Inigo is another lovable character whom you cannot help but root for in his quest to kill the evil six-fingered man. He is a sword fighter, and is quite good at it, although he does struggle against Wesley.

Wesley, the main character, is also quite likable. This is one of the few roles where Cary Elwes is cast as the good guy, more often that not he plays a smarmy villain, which I do not understand, because he makes a much more convincing and likable good guy. Some of the best parts in this movie come from the great lines in it, and Elwes has some of the best lines out of the good lines.

If there is a weak link in this movie, it is the princess Buttercup. She does a fine job, but the majority of her lines leave something to be desired. Her character plays the whole movie very straight, and I guess this is what people expect of a princess character, but I wouldn’t mind seeing more depth to her. Not a bad job at all, but her character doesn’t seem to have the depth oozing out of the rest of the crew.

Every good adventure movie needs a good bad guy, and this movie doesn’t fail us in that department, either. Chris Sarandon plays Prince Humperdink, the no good, very bad guy. He possesses the tracking instinct of a bloodhound, and perfectly retraces the steps of people with an accuracy that could only be found in a movie! He seeks to marry Buttercup and do away with Wesley, but is foiled in the end by true love.

Billy Crystal and Carol Kane play bit parts, but a very good ones, as the magic medicine man and his wife. These two interplay wonderfully with a wonderful chemistry as a bitter old married couple. They are horrible to each other in a very funny way, and they help out our heroes, including the “mostly dead” Wesley.

Other small parts and characters add greatly to the movie, specifically the vicar at the wedding with a lisp, the Rodents of Unusual Size, the fire swamp, the six fingered man, Andre the Giant in a fire cloak, etc. There is so much imagination used in making this movie, and it makes the film fun for everyone to watch.

The story is kind of melodramatic, the writing is crisp and punchy, the characters are deep and interesting, and it all plays out in a very fun and entertaining way. This film just works as entertainment, it doesn’t make any deep philosophical statements, it just entertains, and sometimes, that is all you want a movie to do. 8 and a half out of 10 stars and a very hearty recommendation!


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8