Fairy-tale farce too fast and fleeting

Rating: Null/10 (23 May 2004)

"Shrek 2" is definitely not for the kiddies. In fact, I fail to see how it can be truly appreciated by anyone under the age of 20. A lot of the in-jokes and clins d'oeil go back too far for Generation X to have a clue. Take the cinematic references to films such as "Ghostbusters" and "Flashdance", for instance. And there's a verbatim quote from "Rocky Horror Picture Show" that is said so quickly and quietly that you could easily blink and miss it. (Puss in Boots says at one point, "I've got to hold on, or I too shall go mad" -- Dr. Scott's words during the floor show before he lifts the plaid blanket and unveils his fishnet-stockinged legs.)
That's my main complaint about "Shrek 2". There are lots of satirical send-ups of films, brand names and so on -- but they are just one-second sight gags or one-liners. You may not have enough time to catch them on the fly, let alone savor them, before the fast-paced farce moves on to something else.
Fairy Godmother brings a new kind of cartoon villainness to the screen. Her brand of evil -- if you can call it that -- lies in her crass commercialism (she has a business card and a web site), her sweat-shop practices (her elves don't have a dental plan), and her scheming to marry her son Charming to Fiona. On the plus side, Fairy Godmother does look fetching as she lounges on a piano in a clingy red sequined gown (like Michelle Pfeiffer in "The Fabulous Baker Boys"), and she sure can belt out "Holding Out for a Hero". I never expected to hear or see the word "lust" in an animated film, but that's the final ingredient in one of Fairy Godmother's potions. Oh, and her coachman cracks a mean whip ... Shades of SM! Fairy Godmother comes by her bawdiness and ribaldry honestly, since she is played by Jennifer Saunders (Edina in the TV series "Absolutely Fabulous").
Princess Fiona seems rather less feisty this time around. She mainly wants the acceptance and blessing of her royal parents on her marriage to her ogre of a husband, Shrek. Her mother, Queen Lillian, is equally lacking in chutzpah. Indeed, Julie Andrews' considerable acting talents are sadly wasted on this doormat of a character. Even Maria von Trapp and Mary Poppins were worthier heroines.
But at least Fiona and Lillian are flawed flesh-and-blood human beings, and not annoying animals, like Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). Eddie Murphy's antics set my teeth on edge as much as Cuba Gooding's (literal) horsing around in "Home on the Range". Is it just me, or do animated films smack of racism, assigning these kinds of roles to Black and Hispanic actors?
In "Home on the Range", Disney's last hand-drawn animated film, the audience is set up for a single film reference: "Is this the end of Rico?" -- Edward G. Robinson's dying words in "Little Caesar". I'm still laughing and shaking my head about that one. "Shrek 2" might learn a thing or two from this. You don't always have to pull out all the stops. A little can go a very, very long way.