You walk into a movie theater, open the doors, smell the fragrant popcorn in the bag in front of you, and sit down to watch whatever movie pops up on the screen. The average cost to make a movie is around $100 million including distribution. The movie that pops up is an entertaining RomCom (Romantic Comedy), it contains revenge plots, action, giants, killer animals, torture, sword fights, and a pirate saving a princess. Well, guess what? That film only had cost $16 million to make, and that story Is The Princess Bride…

Plot Summary (according to IMDB):

An elderly man reads the book The Princess Bride to his sick and thus currently bedridden adolescent grandson, the reading of the book which has been passed down within the family for generations. The grandson is sure he won’t like the story, with a romance at its core, he prefers something with lots of action and “no kissing,” but he lets grandfather continue because he doesn’t want to hurt his feelings. The story centers on Buttercup, a former farm girl who has been chosen as the princess bride to Prince Humperdinck of Florian. Buttercup does not love him, she who still laments the death of her one true love, Westley, five years ago. Westley was a hired hand on the farm, his stock answer of “as you wish” to any request she made of him which she came to understand was his way of saying that he loved her. But Westley went away to sea, only to be killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts. On a horse ride to clear her mind of her upcoming predicament of marriage, Buttercup is kidnapped by a band of bandits: Vizzini who works on his wits, and his two associates, a giant named Fezzik who works on his brawn, and a Spaniard named Inigo Montoya, who has trained himself his entire life to be an expert swordsman. They in turn are chased by the Dread Pirate Roberts himself. But chasing them all is the Prince, and his men led by Count Tyrone Rugen. What happens to these collectives is dependent partly on Buttercup, who does not want to marry the Prince, and may see other options as lesser evils, and partly on the other motives of individuals within the groups. But a larger question is what the grandson will think of the story as it proceeds and at its end, especially as he sees justice as high a priority as action.

My Thoughts:

If a person were to want to watch a movie with an easy-to-understand plot, funny one-liners, and ANDRE THE GIANT, The Princess Bride would be a great choice. I had to jump through a lot of hoops in order to justify this as a RomCom because it isn’t really; however, it technically falls under the category due to the witty nature of the comedy and the romance aspects. I also was not joking– ANDRE THE GIANT is in this movie, honestly, and he is good in it– not so good acting but he is still good in his role.

Now if you were to ask about the main characters and the romance, I would say the main characters fulfill their purpose. Some are there for revenge, others are meant to be supporting characters and rip doors off their hinges, and specifically, the main characters are there to be the heroes of the story. The Romance aspect, while small, is still present in the movie. Personally, I enjoy it when a movie doesn’t shove the romance down your throat and make it seem very rushed and contrived, so seeing a RomCom where the romance is the driving force of the plot but not shoved into your face is a very welcome change.

Conclusion:

This is being written in anticipation of Valentine’s Day, but I should say that despite this being an 80s movie and cheaply made, it should make for a great movie to watch with your partner or spouse. You could even probably still enjoy it by yourself. I personally recommend some popcorn or a box of chocolates to share with your partner during the movie or, if you are by yourself, plenty of Ben and Jerry’s. I recommend The Tonight Dough or their Oreo flavor. 

That’s all I have to say about this movie, if you wish to watch it yourself it’s on Hulu for free as long as you have a subscription. So I shall leave you with this: “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. ”

Rating:

8 of 10