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 Reel Life with Jane!Get the latest scoop on family-friendly movies at the theatre and on DVD! SHREK THE THIRD
MPAA Rating: PG for some crude humor, suggestive content, and swashbuckling action. Should you take the kids? Yes! This is a fun movie with great animation and plenty of laughs. As with the first two movies, though, it's rife with body-humor (you know the kind I mean) and innuendoes, which makes it best for kids 6 and older. For more info, see "Bringing the Kids" below. THE STORY: The Big Green Guy is back, and all his pals are with him. You might recall that at the end of "Shrek 2," King Harold (voiced by John Cleese) had turned into a frog. Now he's fallen ill, and his daughter, Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), and her hubby, Shrek (Mike Myers) are next in line to rule as the King and Queen of Far, Far Away.
With cohorts Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), Shrek sets out to find the rebellious teen. But things get complicated when the jilted Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) – previously thrown out of the kingdom – returns to seek revenge. He aims to get that throne for himself, and he's got help from a group of fairy-tale baddies, including the villainous Captain Hook (Ian McShane).
"Shrek the Third" features plenty of great new voices, including British comedian Eric Idle as Merlin (reuniting him with his "Monty Python" co-star John Cleese), John Krasinski (Lancelot), Larry King (Doris), and Regis Philbin (Mabel). Many favorites are back, as well, including Queen Lillian (Julia Andrews), Pinocchio (Cody Cameron), and The Three Little Pigs (also Cody Cameron). This is a fun movie with super CG animation and plenty of laughs. And…are there some little Shreks on the way? See the movie and find out! BRINGING THE KIDS: PRESCHOOLERS (ages 2-5): With more of the same crude humor and innuendoes featured in the first two movies, best to hold off on this until the kids get a little older. Better girl-power DVDs for preschoolers include "Dora the Explorer," ""Mulan," and "Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper" (sure, she wants to marry the prince, but not until she's back from her world tour). GRADE-SCHOOLERS (ages 6 - 10): Grade-schoolers will love seeing the funny characters again. Unfortunately, they'll also love all the bodily-function humor (belching, farting, butt-scratching, etc.). There are a few suggestive scenes involving cross-dressing (sort of), provocative behavior, and off-screen sex (ok, we KNOW Shrek and Fiona are married, but do we have to see them in bed together?). For this reason, I think it's best suited for kids 6 and older. TWEEN / TEEN (ages 11+): How cool to see five strong women defending the castle, rather than relying on some knight in shining armor to rescue them. This movie reinforces the fact that Girls Rock! (But we all knew that, didn't we?) JANE’S REEL RATING SYSTEM : One Reel: Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it. Two Reels: Tolerable. Coulda been a contender. Three Reels: Pleasant. Something to talk about. Four Reels: Wow! The stuff dreams are made of. Jane Louise Boursaw is a freelance journalist specializing in the movie and television industries. Visit her online at www.ReelLifeWithJane.com or email jboursaw@charter.net
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by Jane Louise Boursaw
But that's the last thing Shrek had in mind when he married Fiona. He'd be happy to hang out in his beloved swamp for the rest of his life; unfortunately, that's not an option unless he can find a suitable replacement to be King. The most promising candidate? Fiona's cousin Artie (Justin Timberlake), an underachieving medieval high school slacker.
With Shrek gone, it's up to Fiona to defend the kingdom, but not to worry. As Aretha Franklin once sang, "sisters are doin' it for themselves," and Fiona assembles a band of girls to help her: Snow White (Amy Poehler), Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph), Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri), and Cinderella (Amy Sedaris).