The Princess Bride turns 30 today and I’m looking back at the first time I watched it
Everyone seems to have a special moment when it comes to the Princess Bride, and it feels like the common thread is needing a pick-me-up.
Westley and Princess Buttercup were the couple of our dreams growing up, or at least they are if you love The Princess Bride. A movie about a farm boy trying to get back to his love stole our hearts for a lot of reasons. One, the story telling device used in the film.
For those who don’t remember, a grandfather is telling his grandson this story while he’s sick and home from school. Which then, in turn, makes this movie one that many of us watch when we are sick or need a pick-me-up.
The Princess Bride means a lot to us all for different reasons. We either watched it as kids or we
supported it because we love the actors in it. But for me, it is a little different. I hadn’t ever seen the movie and was already 14, which is almost unheard of.
When my brother Patrick found out, it was when I was about to get eye surgery. Obviously, I was freaking out (I was only a kid). So he took it upon himself to make me happy even though he wouldn’t be around after my surgery. He told me that I would have to watch it once I was out of surgery (probably not the best time to watch it but still) and I realized just how amazing the movie was. It was something that my big brother wanted to share with me and so, in turn, when he had surgery this year and I couldn’t be there, I told his fiancée to do the same thing for him.
It just fits. When you’re sick, you want to live through the story of Inigo Montoya and Princess Buttercup just as the little boy did. It’s almost a rite of passage.
Today marks the 30th anniversary of The Princess Bride and maybe we should all go revisit Princess Buttercup and her pirate love Westley. It is an incredible movie and while this story is specific to how I was introduced to the film, it seems as if everyone has these special moments with The Princess Bride.
Next: Did Iris West get cut from Justice League?
If you want to revisit it, please do. It’s definitely worth a rewatch. Do as you wish.