Shrek: A rock and a hard place

Rating: 7/10 (11 February 2007)

I'm not sure where I stand on this particular film. I am not a fan of Mike Myers particular brand of humour. That said I did enjoy Wayne's World. But I was younger then. Also I find Eddie Murphy particularly annoying. I guess that's why he was cast here. Leslee Feldman did a good job of putting him in the Donkey role.
I do have a lot of respect for the artistry and work that goes in to all cartoons. It's a fantastic medium for story telling as the only real boundaries for expression are the animator's imagination. And this is no exception, despite my dislike for the cast I have to say the story telling and characterisation are both very, very, good, exceptional in fact.
The crux of what I dislike is, conversely also what I like in it, that is the way it makes me feel. I am very much Shrek. I'm not a big green ogre though I do refer to my home as The Swamp, but that's more of a MASH reference. Like Shrek I have layers. I build walls, I push people away, especially if they look and sound like Eddie Murphy. No only kidding I liked Beverly Hills cop, so he's not all bad. Sorry I came over all Ben Elton there and digressed some what... Like Shrek I too am rather insecure and don't like the way watching myself in Shrek makes me feel. And it is that emotive stirring that makes Shrek a truly good and powerful film. There aren't many movies that reach me on an, well loathed as I am to say it, an emotional level.
Freud could have an answer here. From an early age I was taught by my mother that cartoons, and especially Disney and anything Spielberg ever had anything to do with, were bad. Because and I quote: "They have happy endings, and that's not how life is." She was never a believer in false hope. Expect the worst and you'll never be disappointed I think is her ethos. Perhaps that's what makes me the cold hearted cynic I am today.
Much as I'm loathed to admit itÂ… Shrek is a good film, despite the happy ending. Well worth a watch.