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The Princess Bride (1987)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 8.2/10
Reviews Counted: 46
Fresh: 44 | Rotten: 2

A delightfully postmodern fairy tale, The Princess Bride is a deft, intelligent mix of swashbuckling, romance, and comedy that takes an age-old damsel-in-distress story and makes it fresh.

Average Rating: 7.4/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 1

A delightfully postmodern fairy tale, The Princess Bride is a deft, intelligent mix of swashbuckling, romance, and comedy that takes an age-old damsel-in-distress story and makes it fresh.

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Movie Info

Based on William Goldman's novel of the same name, The Princess Bride is staged as a book read by grandfather (Peter Falk) to his ill grandson (Fred Savage). Falk's character assures a romance-weary Savage that the book has much more to deliver than a simpering love story, including but not limited to fencing, fighting, torture, death, true love, giants, and pirates. Indeed, The Princess Bride offers a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale depicting stable boy-turned-pirate Westley's journey to rescue

PG, 1 hr. 38 min.

Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy

Directed By: Rob Reiner

Written By: William Goldman

In Theaters: Sep 25, 1987 Wide

On DVD: Jan 26, 1999

20th Century Fox

The Princess Bride Trailer & Photos

Cast

Cary Elwes
Westley
Robin Wright
Buttercup the Princess ...
Mandy Patinkin
Inigo Montoya
Chris Sarandon
Prince Humperdinck
Christopher Guest
Count Rugen
Wallace Shawn
Vizzini
Peter Falk
The Grandfather
Fred Savage
The Grandson
Andr� the Giant
Fezzik
Peter Cook
The Impressive Clergyma...
Carol Kane
Valerie the Wizard's Wi...
Billy Crystal
Miracle Max the Wizard
Mel Smith
The Albino
Betsy Brantley
The Mother
Anne Dyson
The Queen
Willoughby Gray
The King
Margery Mason
The Ancient Booer
Malcolm Storry
Yellin
Jane Jenkins
Janet Hirshenson

Critic Reviews for The Princess Bride

All Critics (47) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (50) | Rotten (4) | DVD (39)

Based on William Goldman's novel, this is a post-modern fairy tale that challenges and affirms the conventions of a genre that may not be flexible enough to support such horseplay.

August 13, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comments (25)

Variety Staff

Variety

Top Critic

Rob Reiner's friendly 1987 fairy-tale adventure delicately mines the irony inherent in its make-believe without ever undermining the effectiveness of the fantasy.

August 13, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader

| Comment

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Top Critic

Since its release more than 15 years ago, The Princess Bride has often been copied, but never equaled.

June 5, 2003 Full Review Source: ReelViews

| Comment

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Top Critic

This material might easily have lent itself to broad parody or become too cute for its own good. But Mr. Reiner presents it as a bedtime story, pure and simple.

May 20, 2003 Full Review Source: New York Times

| Comment

Janet Maslin

New York Times

Top Critic

Bride achieves much more than most film comedies.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Desson Thomson

Washington Post

Top Critic

It's a lively, fun-loving, but nevertheless epic look at the nature of true love.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Washington Post

| Comment

Rita Kempley

Washington Post

Top Critic

Witty, winsome fairy tale for the whole family.

January 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

| Comment

Common Sense Media Editors

Common Sense Media

An inordinately smart and sly motion picture, one that has enough simple pleasures to succeed as one of the better popcorn movies of its decade.

May 25, 2010 Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy

| Comment

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

There is so much to latch onto in this movie, so much for each member of a family that watches it together to love.

May 13, 2009 Full Review Source: Screen It!

| Comment

Rory L. Aronsky

Screen It!

Both celebrating and spoofing fantasy adventures conventions, the high energy swashbuckler is full of tongue-in-cheek humor that only enhances the fun.

November 30, 2007 Full Review Source: MSN.com

| Comment

Sean Axmaker

MSN.com

a charming and utterly disarming swashbuckling fairy tale that is also a smart, funny satire of swashbuckling fairy tales

November 17, 2007 Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk

| Comment

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Lacking the commentaries and home video footage that graced previous The Princess Bride DVD releases, and short any comment from Reiner or Goldman, this pedestrian set hardly excites.

November 13, 2007 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine

| Comments (4)

Arthur Ryel-Lindsey

Slant Magazine

A film of remarkable forwardness, honesty, and humor, built, like all fairy tales, around one message, summed up late in the script: "True love is the greatest thing in the world."

November 13, 2007 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine

| Comment

Arthur Ryel-Lindsey

Slant Magazine

One of Reiner's most entertaining films, effective as a swashbuckling epic, romantic fable, and satire of these genres.

November 5, 2007 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

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One of the hottest cult videos of the 1980s, and a family classic besides, enjoyed by new generations of youngsters as well as their parents.

August 18, 2007 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

| Comment

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

The leads are vacuous; the absurdities sometimes forced and obvious.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comments (11)

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

I wasn't wowed when it came out theatrically in 1987, and seeing it again 19 years later hasn't changed my opinion.

June 12, 2006 Full Review Source: Buzzine Magazine

| Comments (2)

Staci Layne Wilson

Buzzine Magazine

Mandy Patinkin calls it The Wizard of Oz of our generation, and that's not an inconceivable way to describe it.

June 11, 2006 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis

| Comment

James Plath

Movie Metropolis

One of the Top films of the 1980s - if not, of all time. A treasure of a film that you'll want to watch again and again

May 15, 2006 Full Review Source: Moviehole

| Comment

Clint Morris

Moviehole

An effective comedy, an interesting bedtime tale, and one of the greatest date rentals of all time.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat

| Comment

Brad Laidman

Film Threat

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Princess Bride

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Simply one of the best movies ive ever seen. it just had everything in a simple fun great way. My 5 year old even loves this movie.

March 20, 2007

John Manard

Super Reviewer

There's really nothing bad to be said about Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride. It's a fairy tale about true love conquering all, but framed through a very real life event - an old man telling his grandson a bedtime story. This framed narrative was the thing that truly caught my eye. Why did the film include this?

December 5, 2011

E.J. Boxler

Super Reviewer

The Princess Bride Quotes

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1. Inigo Montoya: Fezzik, where is that wheelbarrow that we left with the Albino?
2. Fezzik: Over the Albino...
– Submitted by Ben D (6 days ago)
1. Miracle Max the Wizard: He's only mostly dead. If he were all dead, there's only one thing you can do.
2. Inigo Montoya: And what's that?
3. Miracle Max the Wizard: Go through his pockets and look for loose change.
– Submitted by Ben D (6 days ago)
1. Fezzik: My way isn't very sportsmanlike.
– Submitted by Ben D (6 days ago)
1. Westley: Life is pain. Anyone who says different is trying to sell you something.
– Submitted by Ben D (6 days ago)
1. Vizzini: Stop that, I mean it!
2. Fezzik: Anybody wanna peanut?
– Submitted by Ben D (6 days ago)