The Princess Bride poster

The Princess Bride

Certificate: PG

Starring: Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin

Release date: 1987

5 out of 5

5

A classic fairy tale with a modern spin, this wonderful film from When Harry Met Sally director Rob Reiner is a must-see for all ages. A young boy (The Wonder Years’ Fred Savage) lies ill in bed, so his grandfather (Peter Falk) decides to read him a story of giants, an evil prince, a beautiful princess and a dashing hero.

The story begins with young Westley (Elwes) who falls in love with the lovely Buttercup (Wright). But their path to true love is a rocky one – first she believes Westley has died, then she is kidnapped by a gang led by the calculating Vizzini (Wallace Shawn). The mysterious Dread Pirate Roberts tries to rescue her – could he be Westley in disguise? And can Westley stop the dastardly Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) from marrying his one true love?

Set in a strange land populated with memorable characters like revenge-seeking swordsman Inigo Montoya (the superb Mandy Patinkin), the stubborn magician Miracle Max (Billy Crystal) and well-meaning, amazingly strong giant Fezzik (André the Giant), this is a terrific adventure for kids but has heaps of delicious humour for older audiences. In fact, there are not words to describe how utterly brilliant this film is. Buy it, even if you don’t have kids. It’s wonderful…

Is The Princess Bride suitable for kids? Here are our parents’ notes...

The characters are often in danger, but there is humour throughout.

The movie is probably best for the over-8s, as they will get a lot of the humour and not be scared by scenes of Westley being tortured, or the giant rodents.

If you like this, why not try: Stardust, Shrek, Tangled, Ella Enchanted, Enchanted,