Somewhat entertaining, with some great moments, but overall a wasted opportunity

Rating: 6/10 (5 November 2001)

Maybe I just went into the film thinking the wrong ideas. The trailers looked very appealing. I saw parts of the movie working at the Edgewater Multiplex over the summer and really enjoyed the parts I saw. But when I finally watched it straight-through, I have to say I was kind of disappointed.
First of all, I thought they could've stressed the idea of spoofing fairy tales. I think that's what tantalized me most about the film. I laughed my head off when Lord Farquaa (voice of John Lithgow) looked into the mirror and gave that "Mirror, mirror on the wall" speech and the mirror commented on him negatively. So he calls his henchman and he punches a crack into a small mirror. Lord Farquaa then continues with "You were saying?....." Now that's funny! I also loved that little tribute to "The Dating Game" where Farquaa had to choose between Princess Fiona, Cinderella and Snow White (who is described as living with seven men). Then the people in the audience, his knights, start holding their fingers up screaming out who he should pick. Again, hilarious! And I have to commend the always-talented John Lithgow for lending his voice to that character, because he absolutely cracked me up and I don't think any actor could've done a better job. In fact, though he was the villain, I was hoping he would have a bigger part in the story.
The story mainly focuses on Shrek and his pal, Donkey. Eddie Murphy provides the voice of Donkey the donkey, and he's funny at times, but after a while he gets obnoxious. I was amazed by the abundance of crude humor. I know it's nothing compared to the average Farrelly Brothers movie, but how many parents are taking their children to see their flicks? The opening scene alone is filled with gags involving farting in the water, taking a mud bath and spraying spit all over people's faces. I don't see how a film like "Road Trip" gets panned for using gags like that--and often in a funny way--yet this movie gets rave reviews by critics everywhere. There's always a certain way to deliver a crude joke, and it's hard to deliver it adequately when trying to appeal to children and keep the PG rating. Kids will most definitely laugh at every crude joke in sight, but adults will probably roll their eyes.
Even at an hour and twenty minutes, I felt the film dragged quite a bit. They could've cut a few of those Shrek-Donkey interactions and concentrated more on plot. I liked the movie, but not as much as I thought. But if parents are looking for something tolerable that they can watch with their kids--without putting on a fake smile and pretending to enjoy it--then "Shrek" is not a bad choice at all.
My score: 6 (out of 10)