Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 20
  2. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Cary Elwes is marvelously funny as the hero. [25 Sept 1987]
  2. Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    100
    As you watch this enchanting fantasy, feel free to be thrilled or to giggle, as you wish. This time, Happily Ever After lasts 98 minutes. [21 Sept 1987]
  3. The movie has its own genuine charm and one hilarious high: Billy Crystal & Carol Kane are simply wonderful. [24 Sept 1987, p.24(E)]
  4. 90
    An effective comedy, an interesting bedtime tale, and one of the greatest date rentals of all time.
  5. Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    90
    It's Patinkin who scores a special triumph. In his role there's a poignant strain of weariness beneath the leaping bravado, a pain under the braggadocio. [25 Sept 1987]
  6. 90
    As a good fairy tale should, The Princess Bride teaches but never preaches. It's a lively, fun-loving, but nevertheless epic look at the nature of true love.
  7. Though not as visually impressive as comparable Terry Gilliam fare such as Jabberwocky, the verbal wit is fast and abundant (abetted with cameos by Billy Crystal, Peter Cook and Mel Smith), and you'd better believe the midnight movie crowd will remember almost all of it.
  8. 88
    It is filled with good-hearted fun, with performances by actors who seem to be smacking their lips and by a certain true innocence that survives all of Reiner's satire.
  9. Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    80
    A hilarious mixture of Errol Flynn swashbuckler and Monty Python send-up...When it comes to pleasing both kids and adults, you can't do much better.
  10. Mr. Reiner seems to understand exactly what Mr. Goldman loves about stories of this kind, and he conveys it with clarity and affection. [25 Sept 1987, p.C10]
  11. A percolating comedy. The laughs may not tear your belly up, but they're constant and they dovetail with the story.
  12. Not even the crude ethnic humor--Billy Crystal's Mel Brooks-ish Miracle Max--pricks the dream bubble, and the spirited cast has a field day.
  13. 75
    The Princess Bride wants to be sweet and warm, but it doesn't want to take the chance of seeming uncool -- and that is an attitude far, far removed from innocence. [9 Oct 1987]
  14. Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    75
    Crystal is such a panic - and normally uptight Patinkin is so attractively relaxed as a Spanish swordsman - that Bride's charms just can't be ignored. [25 Sept 1987]
  15. 75
    Reiner's penchant for hip little riffs -- Billy Crystal as a yiddish wizard, etc. -- dilutes primal power in favor of genial fun.
  16. Reiner abandons his previous movie's sense of farce and satire for much broader and more innocuous comedy.
  17. Kinda cute, occasionally amusing and very, very slow... I just wish [it] had more momentum, more oomph. [9 Oct 1987]
  18. Rob Reiner's not up to it: when the movie is meant to be romantic, the tone is frequently mushy and sexless, and when it's meant to be anachronistic and satiric, it's vaudeville-vulgar.
  19. Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    50
    It also doesn't help that Cary Elwes and Robin Wright as the loving couple are nearly comatose and inspire little passion from each other, or the audience.
  20. 50
    The movie is ungainly – you can almost see the chalk marks it's not hitting. But it has a loose, likable shabbiness. [19 Oct 1987, p.110]
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 47 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 27
  2. Negative: 2 out of 27
  1. 10
    A very competent and entertaining movie. Wonderful characters, engaging plot, and excellent acting. This film is a rare gem, an actually good film based on a book. Brilliant. Full Review »
  2. My fifth favorite movie of all time. It's got everything: romance, comedy, action, fantasy...There are some great laughs and oodles of memorable quotes. The only person who was less than perfect in this movie was the actress who played Buttercup. Other than that, an absolute classic. Full Review »
  3. I didn't even know this was based on a book! Anyway, it's an instant classic. Everybody and everything here is hilarious--especially Billy Crystal. I don't see how anyone can hate on THE PRINCESS BRIDE. Full Review »