So it’s the 20th anniversary of Shrek 2, and they put it back in theaters (I think just for the weekend, but I’m not sure). I of course went to go see it. I grew up watching the Shrek movies, and always enjoyed them, so I was curious to see how it would hold up in the eyes of adult me. I show clips of the Shrek movies to the kids in my class during lunch, which admittedly has nothing to do with this essay, but I just think it’s cool how certain movies, music, and tv shows can transcend racial and generational barriers.
The animation style jumped out immediately, it was different from the modern era but in a way that I found to be charming instead of off putting. The feeling of nostalgia was a prevalent part of the viewing experience as I expected. There were a number of pop culture references including Spiderman and Mission Impossible. There was also a Sir Justin (Justin Timberlake) poster in Fiona’s room. The soundtrack also heightened the feeling that you were watching a movie from the early 2000’s. They say you need to limit pop culture references because it will make whatever art you’re making seem dated, but to be honest I enjoyed all the references in this film. It made the nostalgia hit even harder.
The plot was pretty strong. I don’t know why, but I never associated the Shrek movies with romance. It was the most fundamental part of the film. I’m guessing the creators of this movie intended the relationship between Shrek and Fiona’s parents to be the standard tension between a spouse and the in-laws, but it seemed to be analogous to modern interracial dating. Shrek, the ogre, represented the person of color marrying into a family of conservatives that happened to give birth to a progressive woman. Throughout the film Shrek experienced a lot of scorn and vitriol for simply being an ogre, not just from Fiona’s parents, but from the random people in the town too, people that literally didn’t know him at all outside of how he looked. I thought it was interesting how Shrek was treated with more respect and even reverence when he temporarily transformed into a white man later in the film.
A few weeks ago I saw a tweet saying you should never date someone upon finding out that you’re not their usual type. The movie touches on this dynamic too. One of the main plot points of the movie was Shrek opening Fiona’s diary and seeing all of her fantasies of meeting her Prince Charming, and looking at her old drawings that looked nothing like him. Naturally this, along with the hostile surroundings, made him feel insecure, and made him think he had to change. The film goes on to show Prince Charming coming into Fiona’s life, telling her that he’s the changed version of Shrek, and attempting to sweep her off of her feet. It doesn’t work. Even when she can’t physically tell who Shrek is, she can still identify him because of how well she knows him (this is super romantic btw). Fiona fell in love with every part of Shrek, it doesn’t matter that he doesn’t look like her imagined Prince Charming, because Shrek is the one that she fell in love with and the one that she chose to be with. That’s why I thought the tweet was silly, just because something isn’t how you imagined, doesn’t mean that it’s not what you want. You may not be their Prince Charming, but maybe you’re their Shrek.
Overall the movie was pretty great. The comedy aspect wasn’t amazing, but it was mildly amusing. To be honest the other aspects of the film were stronger than the comedy. The plot was strong, the antagonists were compelling, the protagonists were likable and endearing for the most part (side note: it’s so interesting seeing the portrayal of Puss in Boots after watching his stand alone films.), and as the author of a book titled “The Lover Boy” I couldn’t help but love the romance in this film. In 2024, there are so many rules for dating like “don’t date interracially” and “don’t date someone when you don’t think you’re their type.” I think this film does a good job of refuting those statements. Having standards is important, but my idea of love is something that can transcend most small issues that aren’t explicit deal breakers for the people involved in the relationship. Both Shrek and Fiona had to do things that they were uncomfortable with, but they were willing to do it because it was for the person they loved. I think I appreciate this film more now, as an adult, than when I was a kid.
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