# Why is the Princess Bride (movie) held to such high esteem? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [January 2, 2026, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266 "2026-01-02T04:23:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/81 "2026-01-02T22:26:49Z")
I saw it as an adult and I like it okay. I think I like the ideas and quotes more than the movie itself. For some reason my son has been running around shouting “Inconceivable!” No idea where he picked it up. Wasn’t us. You know, it’s fine to love things that are objectively not great. My husband unironically likes _X-Men 3_ and I unironically like _The Last Unicorn,_ a movie which features bad singing and a lascivious tree with breasts. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/82 "2026-01-02T23:36:47Z")
I tried to watch it twice. Both times I literally fell asleep in the middle of it. (To be fair, one of those times I was sick with a cold, but still.) I find it boring and don’t really understand the appeal. But then again, I love “Xanadu” even though it’s objectively terrible, so I’m not planning on judging anyone else’s taste in movies. (I don’t like Monty Python movies, either, and get really tired of my fellow nerds incessantly quoting them, but that’s a me thing.) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/83 "2026-01-02T23:55:32Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > But then again, I love “Xanadu” even though it’s objectively terrible, so I’m not planning on judging anyone else’s taste in movies. Xanadu has some good moments. So, I say “not terrible” but hardly a cinematic masterpiece. I gave it a C-. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/84 "2026-01-02T23:58:33Z")
I went to a ComicCon in about 2018, where Wallace Shawn was presenting with a special guest appearance by Cary Elwes. They talked a fair bit about their work together on The Princess Bride in addition to Young Sheldon and other projects. It was clear they loved working together on the film. So many great scenes, so many great characters and lines, such a fun story, and Rob Reiner as a director to boot. So quotable. “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” I’ve used that one hundreds of times. Miracle Max talking about the king’s stinking son. Andrea the Giant bemoaning the fact that his way is not very sportsmanlike. The Rodents of Unusual Size. So many great moments. Love that moviefilm. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/85 "2026-01-03T00:19:55Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” I’ve only seen the movie once and I still use that quote! ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/86 "2026-01-03T00:24:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Infovore](#): > > > > But then again, I love “Xanadu” even though it’s objectively terrible, so I’m not planning on judging anyone else’s taste in movies. > > Xanadu has some good moments. So, I say “not terrible” but hardly a cinematic masterpiece. I gave it a C-. That’s true. The soundtrack is awesome, Gene Kelly classes up the joint, and Olivia Newton-John is fun. The rest of the acting, including the male lead, though… ugh. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/87 "2026-01-03T01:23:40Z")
Going back to the OP… There was a scene in How I Met Your Mother, where the two guys are on a long drive in a car with a busted cassette player that repeats “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” on an infinite loop. As they listen over and over again, they start by enjoying the song and - after the 100th play - they’re jumping and singing and crying over the song. I remember, back in the day when you had a half dozen channels to choose between and certain movies would be offered for a re-watch, that there’d be stuff that you’d be willing to watch again, some films that just kept getting better on every viewing, and others that would make you turn to the informercial channel rather than watch that pile of trash again. The more that you watch the movie and remember the dialogue and the subtle nuances, the more it grows on you. If you watch it once, you don’t have all of that. It’s just “some movie”. Watch it ten times and you’ll have the next line on the tip of your tongue and it’s just so satisfying to hear it come out on screen. But that was then. These days, we don’t watch the same movie over and over again, because we have to. You don’t need to winnow through the movies that will survive a rewatch and still have something subtle to find in them. I recall thinking that the movie, Gladiator, was fantastic when it came out. I watched it a second time, on the small screen, and found it to be immensely empty. I’ve seen the Princess Bride too many times to get anything new out of it. But it’s a movie that improves through it’s 2nd, 3rd, and 4th watches. It doesn’t become Shakespeare, by any means, but it’s rare the movie that doesn’t turn into a stinky fish after the 2nd watch. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/88 "2026-01-03T01:46:48Z")
> [@Nyvaak](#): > > Toss any of these lines about, and you’ll nearly always strike a chord > > “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” > > “Mawwage is what bwings us togethah today.” > > “I’ll most likely kill you in the morning.” > > “He’s _mostly_ dead!” “Have fun storming the castle!” “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” “Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!” “Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.” “Yes, you’re very smart. Shut up.” “As you wish.” “Humiliations galore!” I probably use one of these every day. It’s a very quotable movie. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/89 "2026-01-03T03:07:42Z")
> [@Nyvaak](#): > > And the quotable lines are almost worth it, in and of themselves. A friend maintains that this movie is the most quotable of all movies. I like the humor in the movie, and the quotable lines. I don’t like the grandson/grandfather part of it at all - I find it smug and pandering to the audience. And the editing. I think there’s a really good movie in there that’s mashed up with a mediocre movie. But I understand why people love it. It’s warm-hearted and funny. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/90 "2026-01-03T03:41:57Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > A friend maintains that this movie is the most quotable of all movies. Casablanca and Wizard of Oz are up there too. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/91 "2026-01-03T03:46:37Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > “Have fun storming the castle!” > > “Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something.” > > “Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!” > > “Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.” > > “Yes, you’re very smart. Shut up.” > > “As you wish.” > > “Humiliations galore!” “You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you.” “You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die.” ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/92 "2026-01-03T05:10:11Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > One of the main things he praises about it is its rewatchability: not that everybody likes it, but that, for those who do like it, it holds up to repeated viewings. I didn’t like the first time i saw it, which is when it came out. I’d read the book, and was disappointed. But i saw it again a few years ago, and really enjoyed it. A good comfort watch is a good description. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/93 "2026-01-03T05:20:19Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I love the film, but it’s got about the worst female representation since John Carpenter’s _The Thing_. There’s a grand total of three women with dialogue in the movie: Buttercup, Miracle Max’s wife, and the hag from Buttercup’s dream. Only one of them even has a name, and she’s a complete dishrag of a character whose only decisive action is falling down a hill. The movie even removed her one significant character trait from the books… which was “massively obsessed with her own looks.” I feel like there are a lot of works of literature/movies/etc. that are just as bad. Although i admit, none comes to mind at the moment. That is one thing that bothered me a little, but i enjoyed it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/94 "2026-01-03T05:34:21Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I feel like there are a lot of works of literature/movies/etc. that are just as bad. Although i admit, none comes to mind at the moment. The original Star Wars trilogy was pretty weak in this regard, too. There was only one female character, across all three movies, who appeared in more than one or two scenes: Leia. And, though she was a strong character, she’s really it; of the other female characters in those movies, only one (Beru) was even addressed by name on-screen. ---
**Author:** ![Biffster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biffster/32/339_2.png) [@Biffster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffster)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/95 "2026-01-03T08:21:41Z")
I think it may have been Mandy Patinkin’s first film role too. Or at least his first famous one. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/96 "2026-01-03T08:38:50Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > > > I thought Max’s wife’s named was Valerie, although that may have only been in the closing credits. > > She _is_ Valerie, but I agree, I don’t think her name is uttered in the film. Miracle Max refers to her by name when trying to silence her. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/97 "2026-01-03T11:51:29Z")
> [@Biffster](#): > > I think it may have been Mandy Patinkin’s first film role too. Or at least his first famous one. Yentl! ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/98 "2026-01-03T12:48:46Z")
Excellent quote, but difficult to work into my daily conversations. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/99 "2026-01-03T15:34:51Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I don’t like the grandson/grandfather part of it at all Interesting. I found those scenes are the ones that elevate it past just being a period piece. Not only does it remind you we are in a fantasy story, but they make the movie more than, say, _The Adventures of Robin Hood_. And the little interruptions by the grandson going from bored to interested to invested is fun. Plus I get a kick out of going back to the scene and having Peter Falk’s voice come out of the characters. Having the framing story works with this film. A straight telling of the book would be a let down. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266/100 "2026-01-03T16:22:11Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Having the framing story works with this film. A straight telling of the book would be a let down. Do you mean a “straight telling” of the book by S. Morgenstern, or of the book by William Goldman? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-princess-bride-movie-held-to-such-high-esteem/1026266.md?page=6)