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(About Our Ads) "SHREK" (2001) (voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Mild Heavy *Moderate Mild Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None Moderate Minor Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild Minor None Moderate *Moderate QUICK TAKE: Comedy/Adventure: Accompanied by an unwelcome and garrulous donkey, an ornery ogre reluctantly sets out to retrieve a cursed princess so that a prince will remove the fairy tale characters that were banished to his swamp home. PLOT: In a far-off, fairy tale land, Shrek (voice of MIKE MYERS) is a large and ornery, but benevolent ogre who simply wants to be left alone in his swamp-based home. Unfortunately, the actions of Lord Farquaad (voice of JOHN LITHGOW), a diminutive but large-headed prince, have all but squandered Shrek's solitude. For starters, he's banished the land's many fairy tale characters, such as the three blind mice and Snow White and the seven dwarves, into Shrek's swamp. To make matter worse, Shrek's new "friend" is a hyperactive and wisecracking Donkey (voice of EDDIE MURPHY) who not only can speak, but also won't shut up or leave him alone. Irked by this turn of events, Shrek goes to see Farquaad to set matters straight. The prince, however, agrees to the ogre's demands only if he'll travel to a far-off castle, rescue a princess imprisoned on the top floor that's protected by a fire-breathing dragon, and return her to him to be his bride. Accompanied by the Donkey, Shrek reluctantly begins his journey to retrieve Fiona (voice of CAMERON DIAZ), a princess who turns out to be cursed with a spell that can only be broken by love's first kiss. As they make their way to the castle where they encounter the dragon and then head back to Farquaad's kingdom, Shrek, the Donkey and Fiona learn unexpected things about themselves, each other and the true nature of beauty. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Once they've seen the ads or have heard about it, many young kids will probably want to see it, with some or possibly many teens also wanting to see it as well. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For mild language and some crude humor. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: Although it's debatable whether kids view animated characters, particularly some non-human ones, as role models, here's a quick look at the major characters: SHREK is a giant and ornery but otherwise benevolent ogre who simply wants to be left alone, mostly because of how others treat him and how he thinks they view him. His behavior is occasionally somewhat crude, be he has a sense of humor and shows bravery and smarts when needed. THE DONKEY is a wisecracking burro who can't stop talking and won't leave Shrek alone. In general, however, he's an amiable character. FIONA is the cursed princess who's been stuck in a castle awaiting her rescue and love's first kiss that will lift her curse. Although she has preconceived/traditional notions about her eventual rescuer, she's otherwise an independent and resourceful young woman who's worried that the secret about her looks will mean that no one will like her. LORD FARQUAAD is the diminutive but megalomaniacal prince who banishes the fairy tale characters to Shrek's swamp and wants to marry Fiona only so that he can then become the King. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this adventurous comedy that's been rated PG. Profanity consists of a few minor expletives, while some colorful phrases are also used. There are also a few benign sexual references, but they'll likely go over most kids' heads. Some bodily-based humor (belching, farting, urinating) and related references are present, as is some brief drinking. Violence consists of several instances of action/adventure oriented fighting, a dragon chasing several characters, a Gingerbread Man being "tortured" and some slapstick-style material. Some of those and other scenes that involved potential peril may be unsettling, suspenseful or even scary for some younger kids, but that all depends on their age, level of maturity and tolerance for such material. Beyond that, various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while discussable topics such as what constitutes beauty and how people perceive others are also present. If you're still concerned about the film's appropriateness for anyone in your home who may want to see it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed content listings for more specific examples of what's present in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Shrek appears to have a martini of sorts (he drops an olive into a martini glass filled with a liquid). In a take-off of The Dating Game, the narrator introduces three eligible bachelorettes, including Fiona whom the announcer states, "Love piņa coladas and getting caught in the rain." After Farquaad announces that whoever kills Shrek will be announced champion of some contest, the ogre picks up a mug and asks why they can't settle this over a pint. When Farquaad refuses, Shrek quickly downs the ale. He then opens a spigot on a barrel that sends a torrent of ale toward his attackers, knocking them down. Farquaad appears to have a drink. BLOOD/GORE We see Shrek come out of his outhouse and then adjust the back of his pants. Shrek squeezes a bug and uses its "guts" as toothpaste that he spreads on his toothbrush. We hear farting sounds and accompanying bubbles as Shrek jumps into a pond, and he later belches across a torch to create a mini-fireball that lights a fire. A comment is made about strong gases coming from a character's butt. Some automated little figures sing a song that almost has them say, "Turn around and wipe your (what rhymes with grass)" but they don't. We briefly see (from a distance) the urine stream from the Donkey as he puts out a fire with it. The Donkey complains about a smell and then accuses Shrek of passing gas and there are several related comments to all of that (but the Ogre didn't as they're smelling brimstone). While Shrek and the Donkey look at various constellations, one of them mentions something about one with the secondary name being "The Flatulent." Shrek and then Fiona loudly belch after eating. We see that an arrow has struck Shrek in the behind (no blood or gore, although Fiona has to pull it out and we then see what looks like a tiny bit of blood on just the arrow). A dragon belches after eating a villain. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Farquaad has both for arresting and relocating the various fairy tale creatures onto Shrek's land, for the way he reacts to and treats Shrek, and for wanting to marry Fiona only so that he can become a king (he also reacts badly to the way Fiona looks after sunset). Shrek and the Donkey make fun of Farquaad's height (but not to his face). Robin Hood and his men first try to save Fiona from Shrek, and then once they realize she didn't need saving, fight with her (she defeats all of them). FRIGHTENING SCENES Some scenes listed under "Violence" may also be unsettling or tense to some viewers, particularly younger kids, but that all depends on their age, level of maturity and tolerance for such material. When Shrek lets out a monstrous roar toward some villagers who've come after them, that might be a bit unsettling or even scary for some of the younger viewers (although he does so for fun to scare them away). Shrek and the Donkey must cross over a rickety and swinging rope bridge that's over a river of lava hundreds of feet below them (Shrek isn't nervous, but the Donkey is scared, especially when Shrek starts shaking and swinging the bridge). Once Shrek and the Donkey are inside the castle where Fiona lives, various sights inside it might be unsettling or scary for younger viewers. Among them are various skeletons of men who previously tried to rescue the Princess, the general decrepit and somewhat spooky looking state of the castle, and then the huge, fire-breathing dragon that chases after the Donkey, shooting fire at him and seemingly attempting to kill him. Later, however, they learn that the dragon is a girl who becomes smitten with the Donkey, so some of that scary edge is removed from it (although it later chases after them again). In one such scene, the huge, fire-breathing dragon chases after the Donkey, shooting huge amounts of flame at him. It then smashes the elevated structure the Donkey's standing on, and then prepares to smash him and the last remaining part of the structure. Shrek, however, grabs ahold of its tale and after being flung about a bit while holding onto it, is sent flying up through the air where he comes crashing through the tower where Fiona is located. The dragon chases after Shrek, Fiona and the Donkey through the castle once again, shooting more flames at them. As they cross the above swinging rope bridge, the dragon shoots flames that burn the bridge just behind them as they run across it, thus sending it and them careening into the cliff on the other side of the ravine, with Shrek just barely catching the Donkey before he falls into the river below (the dragon is stopped by a chain around its neck that prevents it from chasing them any further). The Donkey goes looking for Fiona in an old building at night and acts apprehensive/anxious while doing so (as we hear some suspenseful music playing). GUNS/WEAPONS Spears: Carried by soldiers. Crossbows: Aimed by guards at Shrek and the Donkey. Knife: Briefly held on Shrek by Robin Hood, and on the Princess by Farquaad. Arrow: Fired from a bow at Shrek and Fiona (it seems to have hit Shrek as we later see it sticking out of his rear end). IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Oh, shut up," "Fool," "You scared the spit out of everybody," "Eat me" (what the Gingerbread man says in defiance to Farquaad), "I have to save my ass," and what sounded like "No one likes a kiss ass." Shrek and the Donkey make fun of Farquaad's height. Several characters belch or fart (all present for laughs). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A moderate amount of dramatic and suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) A song with the lyrics, "If you like piņa coladas, and getting caught in the rain" plays in one scene (playing off a joke about how Fiona is described). Another song has the lyrics, "I don't give a damn about my bad reputation." At the end of the movie, there's a musical montage during which the Donkey sings, "I like big butts..." PROFANITY At least 3 damns (1 in a song), 2 asses, 1 crap, 2 uses of "Oh God" and 1 use of "Oh my God" as exclamations. SEX/NUDITY In a take-off of The Dating Game, the narrator introduces three eligible bachelorettes, including Snow White whom the announcer states, "Although she lives with seven other men, she's not easy." Noting the size of Farquaad's castle, Shrek jokes that the Lord may be compensating for something (which could be a joke about genital size or the Lord's diminutive body size). This is later referenced again. Fiona shows a tiny bit of cleavage in her somewhat low-cut dress. We hear the Donkey talking in his sleep as he mutters something about "Yeah, baby - that's the way I like it." The Donkey mentions something about the smell of pheromones between Shrek and Fiona. SMOKING A bear character is briefly seen with a pipe in his hand/paw. TENSE FAMILY SCENES None. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT The concept of beauty and whether or not it's skin deep (since the film shows that Shrek as well as Fiona are different than their outward appearances). Shrek says he's not the one with the problem (of his attitude toward others), but instead that it's the world that seems to have a problem with him (based on his looks and judging him before they know him). That the short male character is portrayed with a stereotypical Napoleonic complex and that certain characters make fun of his height. VIOLENCE Most of what's listed below is action-adventure based, and is non-graphic and non-explicit in nature. Some guards drag away a woman, eventually causing a Tinkerbell like creature to fly up through the air in a container that then lands on the Donkey's head. Shrek throws a wolf (from Little Red Riding Hood fame) outside. We see Farquaad having the Gingerbread Man tortured for information (he's already missing the bottom of his legs and is being dunked into milk). Farquaad has one of his guards smash a small hand mirror with his fist to get the attention of the big, talking Magic Mirror. Some slapstick style material has a man dressed in a giant head running into a wall and the Donkey spinning around in a turnstile before being dumped to the ground. During a contest, Farquaad announces that whoever kills Shrek shall be named the champion. Accordingly, many soldiers/guards/contestants come at the Ogre. He opens a spigot on a barrel that sends a torrent of ale toward the attackers, knocking them down. A barrel knocks others down and Shrek then uses various professional wrestling moves to defeat his attackers (kicking them, jumping and landing on them, clotheslining others, etc.) with the Donkey head butting one. The huge, fire-breathing dragon chases after the Donkey, shooting huge amounts of flame at him. It then smashes the elevated structure the Donkey's standing on, and then prepares to smash him and the last remaining part of the structure. Shrek, however, grabs ahold of its tale and after being flung about a bit while holding onto it, is sent flying up through the air where he comes crashing through the tower where Fiona is located. Shrek blasts through the locked door that was holding Fiona in her room. As Fiona sings with a little blue bird and each tries to outdo the other with hitting the high notes, we suddenly hear the bird pop and see a few feathers fly into the shot (along with seeing Fiona's surprised reaction to the apparent explosion). Robin Hood and his men show up and he briefly holds a knife on Shrek. Fiona, however, goes into martial arts mode and takes out all of the men (with punches and kicks, etc.) with one of them shooting an arrow at her and Shrek. We then see that the arrow struck Shrek in the behind (no blood or gore, although she has to pull it out and we then see what looks like a tiny bit of blood on just the arrow). The Donkey is sent flying through the air when a tree that Shrek had bent down for Fiona to cross over is let go, shooting the Donkey off like a catapult. Fiona falls to the floor from an upper floor as it apparently collapses (she's not hurt). Some guards approach Shrek and he knocks/throws some of them aside, punches others, and head-butts one. Farquaad then holds a knife to the Princess, but the dragon then shows up and blasts through the wall, grabs Farquaad in his mouth and swallows him whole. All of the glass breaks in a church/cathedral as a person goes through a transformation. During a wedding reception, one woman slaps another woman while trying to catch the bouquet. Reviewed April 5, 2001 / Posted May 18, 2001