"The Princess Bride" We Really Didn't Know

I was listening to the commentary on this. It was William Goldman who has long since coined the idea that no one in Hollywood knows anything. We can assume and guess, but it is as dumb as an investment to make movies as there possibly is. A machine like comic book flicks, yeah, that makes sense. But that doesn't mean they're good movies. In fact, most of them suck. We're given these films because that's the only above 10% we can marginally believe will be a hit. When there's no other choices...well...

"The Princess Bride" was considered, at the time, a marginal movie. It was completely funded by Norman Lear by a tiny company called Castle Rock. The budget for the movie was $16 million dollars. Done today, with the CG it would be three times as much. AND, that doesn't include star salaries. In 1985, the idea of casting Robin Wright & Cary Elwes, complete unknowns at the time was insane. But for a small company, it was all they had. Listen, the book was a small hit. This was in 1973 when it was first written. It lingered for a while. People like Norman Jewison was tapped to direct it. I don't think it'd be nearly as fun. They got Rob Reiner, who had TWO credits. "This is Spinal Tap" and "The Sure Thing." The sensibility of him and the material of Goldman's material were pitch perfect. This movie is STILL funny. In its bizarre, often sidetracked sense of humor. This was "Shrek" before "Shrek" was "Shrek."

When it was released, it pretty much broke even. The powers that be had no clue as to how to market the movie. It was a comedy-adventure-action-romantic-fairy-tale. Common now, unheard of in the mid-80's. It was the advent of VHS that this movie took off. And now after many generations, it's a classic. Which is hilarious considering Rob Reiner had gone on record saying how he didn't want it to become "...like 'Wizard Of Oz'" a reference to how "Wizard..." was a marginal movie that now is a classic.

We don't know shit in this town. We can only make as good of a movie as we can. And, unfortunately, sometimes even that isn't enough. I think the trick to this is to maintain a level of indifference while holding onto a small glimpse of hope. The general population constantly shocks me as to what it will go to see. And others that have zero interest. "Let's Be Cops" destroyed box office expectations. I'm sure those people are counting their lucky stars. Where it goes wrong is when they set out to grab that supposed lighting in a bottle twice. Big mistake. Or is it? Who fucking knows? Did "Hot Tub Time Machine" need a sequel. How well did that do?