communication breakdown

Movie Review: The Princess Bride (1987)

[ 5 / 10 ] With "The Princess Bride", Rob Reiner created a movie with one of the largest cult followings in recent memory. Everywhere I go, I find people who hold this movie in the highest regard - in fact, the only movie I know that has more devoted followers might be "Monty Python and the Holy Grail". For years, I've wondered why such devotion exists, without bothering to watch the film. I finally consented to a viewing, and here are my impressions...

Basically, the movie is a classic fairy tale. Young Buttercup falls in love with stableboy Westley, only to lose him to (supposed) death as he goes off to make a name for himself. Meanwhile, the Prince of the land takes her to be his wife, but she is kidnapped by a band of outcasts before the ceremony occurs. All hope appears to be lost until Westley heroically appears to save the Princess-to-be, and then the struggle shifts into a story of love and how it can overcome all obstacles.

The tagline to the movie says that it has a little bit of everything, and in truth, it does. There is a (fairly sterotypical) love story, sword fighting, battles of good vs. evil, and some humor. The effects are pretty bad, but hey: it was made in 1987 on a tight budget, and I'm willing to forgive lackluster effects. It's the rest of the film that I'm not willing to overlook.

I just can't give a blanket recommendation to the film, and here's why. Though it is a fairy tale which glorifies love above all, in truth the movie is a comedy. The problem with comedies is that they are not as universal as a drama - they have a niche audience. There are many different types of humor and everyone usually has at least a couple which they just don't find very funny. When it comes to this movie, I am in that camp - I don't think my taste in comedies puts me in the target demographic for the film (for the record, this is the same problem I have with Monty Python).

I don't really even know how to describe the comedic style employed here, because I tend to think of movies like this as "cheesy". In my opinion, they go for somewhat-intelligent humor that comes across as silly, or trying too hard. The best parallel I can draw is Monty Python itself, though this film is nowhere near as off-the-wall as that one. For the record, given my hesitation to see the film, I did my best to come in with an open mind. I will concede there are a couple of hilarious moments (for the movie lovers - I thought the rat scene and the part where limp Westley tries to join hands with his fellow crusaders were hilarious).

Anyways, there's not much more to say. Basically, I felt the movie was pretty average in every way. Typical story, some surprising moments, some funny moments. I concede willingly that I just don't think this is my type of movie, and enough others love it to mean there's clearly something here. Give it a try, but for my money, an average movie gets an average rating.