The Three Musketeers: THE perfect movie, or just one of them?

So...yeah. This poster, pictured to the right, hung in my bedroom throughout my teen years. Though only this Christmas did I finally acquire my own copy of the movie.

As I write this post, I'm battling a temporary fit of insomnia by sipping herbal tea and watching "The Three Musketeers," which has started to become an insomnia staple for me. Why do I love it so much? Here's the short list:

1. The cast
Charlie Sheen (when he was at the peak of his hotness), Tim Curry (who makes every movie better), Keifer Sutherland (a counter-balance of grittiness to the other men's charms), Chris O'Donnell (when he was cute and before he sported bat-nipples), Oliver Platt (who also makes every movie better), Rebecca DeMornay (who is simultaneously crazy hot and ice-cold as Countess DeWinter), plus a small part played by Julie Delpy from "Before Sunrise." Everyone gives a solid performance. And despite some arguably trendy casting choices, the movie holds up more than 15 years later.

2. The script
The perfect balance of romance, action, suspense, adventure and humor...something few movies attempt but this movie handily succeeds at.

3. And yeah...OK...
The dashing men with well-groomed goatees and long hair. The puffy shirts. The plumed hats. The "wenching" scene. The sheer "swashbucklery" of it all. And, admittedly, the fact that I saw it at a very influential age, right around when I went to my first Renaissance Festival. I wholly admit that I have a perspective on this film very similar to how Josh views the 1980s Transformers and G.I. Joe cartoons.

But regardless...it will always remain high on my list, not as a guilty pleasure, but as a simple pleasure.