The Paramount Theater chose the perfect lazy Sunday afternoon movie to showcase last weekend. Rob Reiner’s classic film The Princess Bride tells a story within a story, as it opens with a grandfather reading his somewhat bratty grandson a fairy tale, which becomes the main plot line for the rest of the film. Not only does this movie have all the main ingredients of a conventional storybook romance — “fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles” — the stellar characters and the dialogue also set it apart as truly one of a kind.
The film follows Westley (Cary Elwes), who has undergone a transformation from farm boy to pirate, on his quest to save his beloved Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn) from the evil grasp of Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), who is more intimidating than his name may suggest.
The colorful characters of The Princess Bride add much-needed spice to the traditional fairy tale template. The audience learns quickly to rely on Westley’s irrepressible courage, strength and smarts to get him out of any sticky situation. Aside from that, his dashing good looks will make any preteen girl swoon.
In terms of the rest of the movie’s leads, former villains Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) and Fezzik (Andre the Giant) easily win the hearts of the audience with their delightful friendship. Fezzik’s goodwill and Inigo’s dedication to avenge his father’s untimely death make them wonderfully multifaceted and lovable characters. The subplot of Inigio’s mission to seek revenge against the murderer of his father reminds viewers of timeless qualities, such as honor and bravery, and his fencing fights are incredibly well choreographed.
As with any film, however, the mostly strong cast does have some shortcomings. Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), who originally employs Inigo and Fezzik to do Prince Humperdinck’s bidding, occasionally delivers his lines with more force than subtlety, detracting from the intended humor of the dialogue. Nevertheless, he’s easily one of those characters you love to hate.
Beyond the wonderful intricacies of each of the male characters, their shared chemistry is what makes them integral to the movie. The characters play off of each other in their amusing banter and the relationships they form with each other reflect an emotional depth.
While the male characters keep the movie punchy and exciting, Buttercup’s character could use some more bite. Reminiscent of Cosette in Les Miserables, she is a rather static character and doesn’t take matters into her own hands. Buttercup depends on Westley to not only to save her, but to bring liveliness to their relationship on-screen. As the only prominent female role in the movie, she leaves much to be desired in the empowered woman department.
But the amusing personalities of the secondary characters more than make up for Buttercup’s lack of pizzazz. Billy Crystal and Carol Kane star as the hilarious miracle worker couple, and Peter Cook plays the part of the Impressive Clergyman, whose speech impediment is more on the slapstick side of things — mawage — but will definitely elicit some giggles.
While the plot itself may not be groundbreaking and some of the special effects may seem tacky, The Princess Bride has an unforgettable charm and a timeless message: True love is the greatest thing in the world — except for a nice MLT — mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich.
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