The Princess Bride - 9 stars out of 10

The Princess Bride - 9 stars out of 10

"The Princess Bride" is simply one of the greatest comedies in the world.  Even though it has a strong cult following, I don't consider it to be a cult classic.  It isn't the type of film that you had to see as a child or had to see with a particular group of people for it to have a magical effect each time that you watch - any person can watch this for the first time at any point in their life and immediately find themself quoting it.  In fact, it is arguably the most quotable film in the world, from "As you wish" to "Inconceivable" and "Anybody want a peanut?"  How many weddings on television and in real life have involved the words "Mawwiage is what bwings us togethah today"?  This is not just a film - it is a part of our culture.  The majority of the credit belongs to William Goldman for writing such a humorous script equally filled with heartwarming moments and absurdity.  The dialogue flows without ever letting the movie get boring.  I love the storytelling technique (particularly because it involves Peter Falk as Grandfather), but you derive a certain comic element by having all of the "kissing parts" be interrupted by Fred Savage.  The only problem is that it really does prevent you from having an emotional moment with the strategic interruptions, but the humor is probably more valuable than the chick-flick-effect.  The casting department also deserves a great deal of credit for bringing in big names for this family film and finding a perfect fit for each character.  But really, this film comes down to incredible acting, spot-on interpretation of characters, and memorable delivery of lines.  I am going to skip past all of the lead actors and go straight to Wallace Shawn, who gives the performance of a lifetime.  He is absolutely hysterical as Vizzini, the high strung Sicilian with a superior intellect.  His voice and facial expressions make this one of my favorite characters in all of cinema.  Carey Elwes and Robin Wright have excellent chemistry together, even though they are in a limited number of scenes, but it is enough that we want to see them together.  Chris Sarandon brings a great scheming side to Humperdinck, showing that he really is smart but has a dark side that we hate, and who could forget Mandy Patinkin's signature line that keeps appearing throughout the movie.  Andre the Giant's dialogue is really difficult to understand but let's face it, it's Andre the Giant and that's awesome.  Perhaps the greatest surprise of the entire movie is Billy Crystal and Carol Kane, unrecognizably done up in make-up as Miracle Max and his wife.  These characters may only have 5 minutes of screen time, but the vocal intonation and sass of these two classic comedic actors is the icing on the cake.  From its creative atmospheres like the Cliffs of Insanity and the Fire Swamp to its quotable dialogue and dynamic characters, "The Princess Bride" is a laugh-out-loud love story that can be enjoyed by audiences of any age and is one of our generation's first classic films to pass on to our children.