At the end of the digitally animated
Shrek the lovely Princess Fiona (given voice by Cameron Diaz) flipped the formula of
Beauty and the Beast by electing to become a stocky green ogre just like her gruff but tender beau (Mike Myers); this time around she faces the delicate task of bringing him home to mom and dad (Julie Andrews and John Cleese). Like the first movie this is unassailable family entertainment, with a gentle fairy tale for kids and a raft of mildly satirical pop-culture references for parents. Antonio Banderas is very funny as the Zorro-esque Puss in Boots, and there are two priceless set pieces: a parody of
COPS and a giddy survey of the kingdom, which is a medieval version of Rodeo Drive.
By J.R. Jones
