Most fun I've had in ages..

Rating: 10/10 (17 June 2001)

I took my son (17) to see Shrek, knowing that it had gotten good reviews, but little else other than the basic premise. I had not seen any of the previews or TV ads, either. So I was not entirely certain what I would get.
What I got was a witty, howlingly funny and touching interpretation of a classic fairy tale that was fresh, enjoyable at multiple levels - so many that I will have to go see it multiple times to catch all of it.
The gross-outs of the first few minutes were, in my view, overdone, but once the writers got that out of their system, they settled down to tell a delightful story, peppered with numerous pop (and classic) culture references from the 60s and up that had parents laughing louder than the kids at times. And the story took twists and turns that I had not expected, leading me to appreciate the film even more.
I am not a big fan of Mike Meyers nor Eddie Murphy, but they did a wonderful job here. Cameron Diaz' Princess Fiona was an unexpected treat, in more ways than one.
I can understand that some people might get turned off by the first five minutes or so, but if you can make it through that, there's a good chance you'll leave the theatre grinning from ear to ear.