Shrek`spins jokes

www.usatoday.com
Wednesday.,May16 2001
*Shrek'spinsjokes
from fairy t-%
And everyone is in on the rude fun
Fairy tales can come true, it can happen-to you ... even if you are a Bsgustmg green lum of an ogre who is
plagued by terribE breath (must be
those bugs and slugs he slurps), a foul
sition and a Carbo complex (he
IF*, REWY wants to be alone).
He Wony be alone this summer, howevec since those wily folks at Dreamworks have seen to it that Shrek
(****out of four),a riotous and
wee bit PG-racy computer-animated
EuIuly W e , is the most thoroughly
er@yable cartoon feature since Toy
Stwy burst out of its box
How do they do it? By taking deadaim potshots at the hoary conventions of animated f%rytales and makmg us unwittjng co-conspirators in
the
of a rival studio. Those
bminwash on all thmp Dime
(ineaning, neariy the entre worl )
spoof in^
2
'3
Moviereview
By Susan Wloszayna
will recognize the slams at
DmamWorkr
the expense of Pinocchio
and Tinkerbell. Cinderella Monster mask S k k and Princess Fiona share
and SnowWhite (who,we're a tender moment inShrek, opening- wide Friday
assured, isn't "easy" just because she k s with seven little men) time gathering is that the petite Lord
engage in a slapping match,and the F uaad (voiced by John Lithgow)
C i r b r e a d Man's spicy invitation to a a n i s h e d the characters from his
"Eat me!" comes as a ribald shocker. pristine
which bears a strikOr course,youngsterswill think the
resemb ce to a certain mousested theme park Unfbrtunatel
rude remark mere refers to the fact
that he's a cookie. t much of the ir- for the reclusive Shrek (whose grui
reverent humor operates on dual run- Scottish brogue is by Mike Myers),
ways, one hr jaded adults and anoth- the misfits have overrun his swam .
er for the a@-too-waningpopulation The ogre strikes a deal with t e
lord. He will rescue the fair Princess
of innocent tots, makes t h @eeMly
~ ~
Fiona (Cameron Diu) from a castle
un-Grimm ypm even naughtxer.
The r e a s ~ nor the once-upon-a- tower, guarded by the usual dragon,
;xa
%
vm,
E
P
so Farquaad can marry her and become a kiq. In return, Shrek's home
will be a hq-free zdne again.
The task is not as easy as that, espeaal since Shrek is burdened by a
sidgck, a jive-talking donkey. An exuberant Eddie M hy gives the comic performance 0% career, aided by
sensationaldigital artistry, as he brays
for the s tly neurotic motormouth
Whether reaking into song or gambolii like a frisky pup, he ISthe cartoon's MVA - most valuable ass-et
The myth-breaking continues
realizes that princes
apace, as F ~ M
don't always have to be charmkg and
Shrek learns that princesses can
belch with,the best of them. In between, the PO references (Fiona defends hersel Matrix-style against
Robin Hood, portrayed- as a fe
French lech) and remarkable vis
(dappled sunflowers. reptiles that
double as balloons) sail swiftly by.
Ultimate1 Shrek delivers one of the
more mun&ne of storybook morals:
It's what is inside that counts. What
counts, though, is how the lesson is
told, and that's where this fractured
fauy tale prevails. By the time the
donkey wails I'm a Believer during a
spirited hale. you'll be a believer, too.
(In New York and Los Angeles; PC:
mild language and crude humor)
P
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