"How many cats can wear boots?"

Rating: 8/10 (18 June 2005)

Mike Myers' most famous role used to be Austin Powers, but with the limited success of the last Powers' outing, Shrek may be Myers' comedic legacy. And we are better off for it. Shrek is a lovable ogre with human emotions, wants, needs, and problems. What guy hasn't had a problem with meeting his girlfriend's/wife's parents? The movie begins with Shrek (Mike Myers) and his new wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz) meeting her parents in a Hollywood-esquire kingdom, Far Far Away, lead by Fiona's parents (John Cleese and Julie Andrews). Upon their arrival, the parents are less than thrilled to see two ogres greeting them. Much of the humor early in the film comes at the expense of Hollywood, as the same sly humor that entered in the first Shrek movie, making fun of Disney, returns here in the sequel. The basic conflict in the movie is identifiable to almost anyone out there, as Shrek tries to find a way to make himself acceptable to Fiona's parents. He even goes as far as to consult the local Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) for help. Problem for Shrek is that the Fairy Godmother is trying to get Fiona to marry her son, the doofus Prince Charming (Rupert Everett). I liked how the savior of so many fairy tales is finally knocked down a peg or two, with Prince Charming the butt of many jokes here. Puss In Boots, a Zorro-like cat (Antonio Banderas) wedges himself between Shrek and his best pal Donkey (Eddie Murphy), adding some more depth to the characters in this movie. I won't go into more detail about the plot, except to say that the movie goes from gag to gag in a surprisingly human way, while keeping the movie in the world of fairy tales. I liked how they were able to keep Shrek a character with real emotions, keeping the story going. The humor, mostly Hollywood references, keeps the movie light and entertaining. The shameless tie-in with American Idol at the end of the film was a bit on the cutesy side, but they kept it funny enough for it to not be annoying. Good, solid, family entertainment here that will make the kids and adults laugh, and enough story here to engage viewers of all ages.