11 reasons we still love The Princess Bride 25 years later
It's got everything the perfect love story needs: a beautiful princess, a handsome adventurer, scheming villains, magic, pageantry and, of course, really big rodents. Today The Princess Bride turns 25, and it's still one of our favorite movies.
From the laughs to the love, here are 11 big reasons why.
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The Sword Fights: Choreographed by the great Bob Anderson (who also worked on Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings in a more than 50-year career), the duels in this film were instant classics, particularly the humor-filled, elegant faceoff between Inigo Montoya and the Man in Black (Westley).
Miracle Max: When our heroes needed a miracle, they got it in the form of Billy Crystal's wisecracking wise man. He not only saved Westley's life. He also taught us the value of a nice MLT (when the mutton is nice and lean).
Peter Falk: Every great bedtime story needs a great storyteller, and we couldn't have asked for better than raspy-voiced Peter Falk as the grandfather who makes his skeptical grandson (Fred Savage) believe in true love.
Inigo Montoya: The swordsmanship, the accent, the hair, the catchphrase! Mandy Patinkin's had a great career, but we'll always know him best as the vengeance-seeking Spaniard.
Andre the Giant: In some circles, the late Andre the Giant is still best-known for his legendary bouts with Hulk Hogan. But to us, he'll always be the lovable hippopotamic land mass known as Fezzik. To this day you can't ask if anybody wants a peanut with thinking of him.
The Battle of Wits: In one corner, Vizzini (Wallace Shawn). In the other, the Dread Pirate Roberts (Cary Elwes). At stake, a princess (Robin Wright). The result: one of the most memorable exercises in convoluted reasoning ever committed to film, and a great piece of advice: "never get involved in a land war in Asia."
Rodents of Unusual Size: If you didn't believe they existed, you were wrong. Personally, we'd rather face the Fire Swamp.
The Assistant Torturer: According to director Rob Reiner, actor Mel Smith couldn't see during his scenes in the dungeon because the contact lenses he was wearing burned his eyes uncontrollably. Somehow he fought through it, and produced the most adorable dungeon dweller ever.
"As You Wish": Cary Elwes probably still can't walk down the street without hearing this line.
"Mawwiage": There are lots of great comedic moments in The Princess Bride. Some are sophisticated, some are...not. But when in doubt, always go for a guy with a funny voice officiating a wedding.
The Kiss: For all its comedic brilliance and adventurous plotting, The Princess Bride is at heart a love story, and it ends with an iconic line from writer William Goldman: "Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. The End." And with that, a million hearts melted.
