When Westley ( Cary Elwes ) first says “As you wish” to Buttercup ( Robin Wright ) in The Princess Bride , it sounds like nothing more than a servant’s reply. He fetches water, she barely glances at him, and the words effectively mean nothing. But each repetition carries more weight, and every “As you wish” enters a rhythm of unspoken affection building beneath the film’s fairytale surface. By the time Buttercup realizes that every “As you wish” actually means “I love you,” the audience already knows, and that’s what makes the revelation so satisfying .

Director Rob Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman understood that sincerity works best when it isn’t forced. The Princess Bride is full of parody and exaggeration from its monologue-loving villains to its sword

See Full Page