That is one beautifully staged kids’ room – A 1980 Empire Strikes Back Burger King glass, classic Chee-Tos bag, a Battle Armor He-Man, Battle Cat, Regular He-Man, The Horde harassing Captain America on a toy Jeep, a red Ferrari 308, a Masters of the Universe mini-comic (Spikor Strikes), random Comic books (Including Tomb Of Dracula number 58 and Legion of Super-Heroes number 320), a Garfield get well card, a Fridge poster – not to mention Hordak and Spydor, a Land Shark, a Judge Dredd t-shirt seen from other angles… but it’s that perfect care-free messiness that’s truly on point.
The movie, though.
Studios kept trying – Dragonslayer, The Dark Crystal, Krull, Legend, The Black Cauldron, Labyrinth – but most of them missed the mark. Too weird, too pompous, too alienating, too dark. Whatever the reason, they didn’t land the way studio execs hoped. And what they hoped for was Star Wars. Even George Lucas wanted another Star Wars with Willow. Wizards and unicorns had a hard time finding footing in the ’80s.
And then The Princess Bride (1987) arrived and changed all that..!
Actually no, it didn’t fare much better. Audiences didn’t line up for this one either. The title suggested sugary Disney fare, the marketing leaned toward zany comedy, and it got quietly shuffled through theatres without much fanfare.
But The Princess Bride offered something a little different. It almost frames itself with an apology for its own existence… it figured you thought you’d seen this all before. It knew fantasy probably wasn’t your thing. It saw the box office receipts of those that came before and came prepared. It’s self-conscious. And it’s self-aware. It even pauses for Fred Savage to complain about the mushy bits. It urges you to stick with it – and it’s justified in doing so. This isn’t Hollywood just playing another round of D&D. In mocking the genre with a bit of postmodernism, it transcends it.
Rob Reiner directs with a steady hand and a generous heart, letting the cast (who all look like they’re having the time of their lives) chew scenery and carve out little moments that still live rent-free in people’s heads decades later. Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin are perfect, Wallace Shawn is iconic and Billy Crystal and Carol Kane well, they just walk in and still steal the whole thing.
It wasn’t a hit. Not then. But like Innerspace and Labyrinth, it thrived on video – passed between siblings, quoted in school halls, adopted by people who didn’t even think they liked fantasy or “kissing books.” Present company included.
Today, it’s untouchable. A rare film that balances sincerity and self-awareness without tipping into irony. It jokes about true love – and then delivers it.
And I truly love this movie.
-Poparrived and changed all that…!
Actually no, it didn’t fare much better. Audiences didn’t line up for this one either. The title suggested sugary Disney fare, the marketing leaned toward zany comedy, and it got quietly shuffled through theatres without much fanfare.
But The Princess Bride offered something a little different. It almost frames itself with an apology for its own existence… it figured you thought you’d seen this all before. It knew fantasy probably wasn’t your thing. It saw the box office receipts of those that came before and came prepared. It’s self-conscious. And it’s self-aware. It even pauses for Fred Savage to complain about the mushy bits. It urges you to stick with it – and it’s justified in doing so. This isn’t Hollywood just playing another round of D&D. In mocking the genre with a bit of postmodernism, it transcends it.
Rob Reiner directs with a steady hand and a generous heart, letting the cast (who all look like they’re having the time of their lives) chew scenery and carve out moments that live rent-free in people’s heads decades later. Cary Elwes and Mandy Patinkin are perfect. Wallace Shawn is iconic. Billy Crystal and Carol Kane walk in and still steal the whole thing.
It wasn’t a hit. Not then. But like Innerspace and Labyrinth, it thrived on video – passed between siblings, quoted in school halls, adopted by people who didn’t even think they liked fantasy or “kissing books.” Present company included.
Today, it’s untouchable. A rare film that balances sincerity and self-awareness without tipping into irony. It jokes about true love – and then delivers it.
And I truly love this movie. -Pop
The Princess Bride arrived on Home Video today in 1988, after a September 25, 1987 theatrical release.