The Princess Bride is a 1987 romantic comedy fantasy film directed and co-produced by Rob Reiner, and starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Wallace Shawn, André the Giant, and Christopher Guest. The film is based on the 1973 novel of the same name by William Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay.
The story is presented in the form of a book being read by a grandfather (Peter Falk) to his grandson (Fred Savage). The grandson is initially uninterested in the story, but becomes engrossed as the grandfather reads on. The story is set in the fictional country of Florin, and follows the romance between Buttercup (Wright), a beautiful young woman, and Westley (Elwes), a farmhand.
The couple’s love is tested when Buttercup is kidnapped by the evil Prince Humperdinck (Sarandon), who plans to marry her as part of a political scheme. Westley sets out to rescue Buttercup, and along the way, he encounters a number of colorful characters, including the sword-fighting Spaniard Inigo Montoya (Patinkin), the giant Fezzik (André), and the master criminal Vizzini (Shawn).
Westley, disguised as the Dread Pirate Roberts, manages to infiltrate the castle where Buttercup is being held and rescues her, but they are later captured by Prince Humperdinck’s men. The prince orders Westley to be tortured to death and Buttercup to be killed on their wedding day as a political move, but Westley and his friends, who have managed to escape, return to the castle to rescue Buttercup once again.
In the final battle, Westley and Prince Humperdinck engage in a duel, and Westley emerges victorious. He and Buttercup are reunited and marry. The film concludes with the grandson asking his grandfather to read the story again.
The film features a mix of comedy, action, and romance, and has become a cult classic. The film was a box office success and also received positive critical reviews. The film has a 92% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.