Ruining a good kids movie

Rating: 3/10 (22 May 2001)

I wonder how much effort screenwriters put in to placing elements in a children's movie to guarantee a PG rating? Shrek has a great concept -- the lampooning of fairy tale stories is a mischievous idea, and provides some of the films best humorous moments. But these are merely asides in the film. The actual story is a pretty standard Disneyesque one of "it's what's inside that counts." Even the touted computer graphics (why we bow to everything that comes out of the box is beyond me) seemed jerky in places, and nowhere near the composition and brilliance of Beauty and the Beast. Still, I thought this film was for kids. How sad I was then, to hear Eddie Murphy's Donkey making sexual innuendo in his sleep. It was not necessary to advance the story; it had nothing to do with his character. Additionally, kids are treated to sexual humor about Snow White that was completely unnecessary. Inclusions such as these, which do not need to be in the film to make it enjoyable, made the film inappropriate for my children to watch (which is why I preview PG films first). I am looking forward to the day when filmmakers discover that being "hip" is not the same thing as telling a great, compelling story. Shrek disappoints, don't believe the hype.