THE PRINCESS BRIDE (1987) *** Since the days of Robert Stevenson there haven't been enough good children's movies. There have been plenty that make children laugh, usually through slapstick like villains falling in the mud; and there have been some that cater to parents, usually through entirely unnecessary double entendres and the like; but there have been precious few films that make both parents and children laugh, and at the same time present the viewers with aesthetic values worthy of note. This is one. Rob Reiner gives fairy tales the Spinal Tap treatment, which is satire, but a special kind of satire. In devoted satire this good the subject matter is celebrated, rather than mocked. It is simply acknowledged, and not in passing, that there are certain aspects that can be seen as unintentionally humorous. It helps to have a lot of silly characters moving in and out of the periphery (Mandy Patinkin is best, also Carole Kane, Billy Crystal and Andre the Giant), and if you have enough of them its ok if your leads (Robin Wright, Cary Elwes) are nondescript, so long as they're identifiable as archetypes. William Goldman shopped the screenplay of his novel around Hollywood for 14 years before someone got it, which means that there's still hope for the world's most brilliant unscreened satirical novel, "Snap Once."
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