The Princess Bride

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The Princess Bride
Starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon
Directed by Rob Reiner

Synopsis:
Grandson (Fred Savage) is sick, and is visited by his Grandfather (Peter Falk), who tells him the story of the Princess Bride.
Buttercup (Robin Wright) falls in love with Westley (Cary Elwes), but Westley is taken by pirates and assumed dead.  Years later, she is set to be wed to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), but she does not love him, as her love died when Westley did. 
Buttercup gets abducted by three bumbling thieves (Wallace Shawn, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant), and is rescued by a mysterious masked pirate, who turns out to be Westley.  With her love alive again, Buttercup is happier than ever, but she still decides to marry Humperdinck to keep Westley safe, and he sets out on an adventure to take down the evil prince and rescue his love for good.

Review:
"The Princess Bride" is one of the few comedic classics that have withstood the test of time.  The 80s was a great decade for these types of comedies ("The Naked Gun," "Airplane"), and this film falls right with the best.  Mixing fantasy and humor with equal balance, Rob Reiner (who also directed "Misery," "A Few Good Men" and "When Harry Met Sally") brings to life the beautiful world of the Princess Bride to glorious life, and with an outstanding cast it'll have you laughing in stitches. 

There's several classic lines from the film, including:
"Have fun stormin’ da castle."
"Please consider me as an alternative to suicide."
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders—the most famous of which is, 'Never get involved in a land war in Asia'—but only slightly less well-known is this: 'Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line!'"
"Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday."
"Hello! My name is Inigo Montoya! You killed my father! Prepare to die!"
"Inconceivable!"
"As you wish!"

For any lover of comedy, I mean true comedy, "The Princess Bride" is a must-see.  It's not as contrite as most of today's "comic" films which just focuses on sexual or gross jokes, but it gives nuance to comedy, making it a more sophisticated form while still remaining hilarious.

Summary:
If you see this film and NOT laugh, I would say that is "Inconceivable!"

My Rating: A+

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