‘Shrek 2’ delivers for parents and children

Andrew Edwards

“Shrek 2” is two different movies. It’s both a funny cartoon for

children and a slick satire aimed at adults. Most of the time it has

something for everybody, though some parents will hope their kids

don’t get all the movie’s jokes.

For a couple of quick examples of why DreamWorks’ film earned a PG

rating instead of the more kid-friendly G, the animated Larry King

makes for a very Ugly Stepsister, and one sequence reveals that

Pinocchio wears a woman’s thong.

Aside from drag-queen gags and some scattered double-entendres,

“Shrek 2” continues its predecessor’s theme of highlighting the value

of inner beauty over external appearances, and drives the point home

by setting much of the action in the “Kingdom of Far Far Away,” a

right-on-the-money sendup of the trendy and style-driven culture Los

Angeles deserves to be made fun of for.

In one scene, patrons of a Godzilla-sized Gingerbread Man flee

from a “Farbucks” cafe into another right across the street. The gag

was a personal favorite since it reminded me of being a college

student, when two Starbucks and two Coffee Bean locations in Westwood

Village plied the caffeine trade for the sleep-deprived during final

exams.

The three principal voice actors from the original all reprise

their roles, and Mike Myers’ buoyant performance as Shrek easily

surpasses his tepid work in the “Austin Powers” sequels, which unlike

“Shrek 2” failed to retain the energy that made the first a hit.

Cameron Diaz returns as Shrek’s bride, the Princess Fiona, and

Eddie Murphy once again joins the cast as Shrek’s sidekick, Donkey.

Newcomers are Monty Python veteran John Cleese and Julie Andrews

as Fiona’s parents. The pair, initially dismayed by Fiona’s choice

for a husband, is central to the story, but the real standout is

Jennifer Saunders as the Fairy Godmother. No longer the benevolent

figure from Cinderella, Saunders plays a scheming purveyor of beauty

potions who strives to tear Fiona from the ogre she loves and marry

her off to her son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett), a preening

mama’s boy whose only true love is for his hair.

Also joining the crew is Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots -- an

orange tabby cat who is an expert at swordplay when he isn’t busy

hacking up a hairball.

Despite the film’s forays into off-color humor and nonstop

pop-culture references, Saunders’ role as the villain shows the film

is really a fable on the vanity of vanity. In an age when television

shows like “The Swan” use women for plastic surgery experiments and

people inject Botox into their faces to look younger, the movie’s

overall lesson is a healthy one.

Though the writers used a lot of broad humor, they remarkably

refused to patronize their audience. Parodies of other flicks and

physical comedy get belly laughs, but beyond the silliness are some

heartfelt moments between Shrek and Fiona, who argue and cherish each

other just like a real couple. Other highlights are the scenes when

Shrek meets his in-laws and his eventual transformation into a human.

“Shrek 2” is the rare comedy sequel that continues the story of

the original instead of rehashing jokes that aren’t as funny the

second time you hear them. It also turns a big, green, animated ogre

into one of Hollywood’s most human heroes. It will make just about

everyone who sees it laugh, even when they hope they’re kids aren’t

laughing for the same reasons they are.