The Princess Bride

I don’t remember the first time I watched The Princess Bride, but I can remember not understanding it. Other than the basic plot line, a lot of the movie went over my head. Most of the dialogue was too witty, the jokes too hard for me to comprehend.
I knew that Westley (Cary Elwes) was a poor farm boy and the he was in love with Buttercup (Robin Wright Penn). I understood the events that transpired which separated the two lovers and had Buttercup poised to be the next princess of Florin.
I did not, however, understand that this movie was a satire. At my young age, I took it for what it was: a tale of true love, pirates, saber-fighting, and a giant.
Now that I’m a bit smarter, I’ve come to appreciate this movie as a great work among satirical comedies. The writing is superb; the dialogue between Westley and Buttercup is fantastic, and many of the supporting characters are completely nutty. All of it comes together to create this 1987 film.
It beings with Buttercup and Westley; Westley, the young, handsome farm boy, and Buttercup, the pretty daughter of a farmer. The two fall in love but have no money for a marriage. Westley leaves the farm in search of money to provide a marriage and a home for his new love. However, his ship is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts and he never returns.
Buttercup is heartbroken by this news but, against her will, arrangements are made for her to marry the Prince of Florin, Humperdink. While she waits to be wed, she is kidnapped by three men: Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin), and Fezzic (Andre the Giant). These three men, led by Vizzini, are attempting to start a war between Florin and its neighbor, Gilder, by kidnapping the bride-to-be and killing her, while making Gilder look responsible.
Even as a satirical fairytale, this film has a surprisingly well-strung story that ties Westley’s quest to save Buttercup to the lives of Inigo and Fezzic.
The film is a great one for those who wish to witness a well-told story of ‘twue wove’ (it’ll make sense when you watch the movie).