Reuse and Recycle is not a motto for film

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2001)

While I enjoyed Shrek, and was definitely laughing out loud in several spots, there were several annoying details that marred my experience. One "ass" joke was sufficient, and the second one felt forced. And in almost every scene the director/writer felt the need to reuse pieces of other movies. It was cute to a point, especially where the reference was modified to enhance its humor (the princess singing with the bird was excellent). But reusing Beauty and the Beast at the end and the Matrix for the fighting scene was unnecessary. Plus the "D'ye think he's compensating for something" jokes (also used twice) confused my 10 year old, and were not needed in a movie targeted for the whole family. BTW, the skewering of DisneyWorld was brilliant, but I think Katzenberg took his grudge a little too far, attempting to make fun of every animated Disney feature in under 100 minutes. Overall, it was a good movie, and I think the sweet spot of the target audience is at about 15. The graphics are gorgeous, the pacing is fast, and the humor is non stop.