Film Review with Robert Mann – Tooth Fairy

23rd May 2010

Tooth Fairy *

When he first made the move from the world of wrestling to the world of filmmaking, Dwayne Johnson (then known by his wrestling name The Rock) showed great promise as a new generation of action movie star, so much so that he even had the personal approval of Arnold Schwarzenegger – the long time king of the action movie – who viewed Johnson as his sort of successor, even putting in a cameo appearance in Welcome to the Jungle as a passing of the torch if you will. Showed great promise, Johnson certainly did but it didn’t take long to realise that he perhaps didn’t quite have what it took. The underwhelming performance of several of his action films seemed to put an end to a promising action movie career before it had even begun. But, then Johnson did a little film called The Game Plan and he had found a new calling – not as an action star but as a family film star. So, rather than being a successor to Schwarzenegger, Dwayne Johnson is instead the new Tim Allen or Eddie Murphy, the go to guy for family films requiring an adult actor who has to deal with a bunch of kids. However, what was amusing with The Game Plan – the tough guy being thrown into the most improbable of scenarios – is now more tiresome, having being done to death in countless similar family movies and no longer having the same appeal it once did. Consequently, the arrival of Tooth Fairy on cinema screens is likely to be welcomed by a collective yawn from moviegoers and even the association of Walden Media – usually known for their high quality family films – is not likely to win many viewers for this film.

Ultra-aggressive ice hockey player Derek Thompson (Dwayne Johnson) has a nasty habit of bashing opposing players in the mouth, earning him the nickname ‘The Tooth Fairy’. Derek’s not really a bad guy, but his days of greatness were ended by an injury and now he has to settle for drastically lowered expectations. But when Derek’s blunt-talking ways dash a young fan’s dreams and get him on the wrong side of his girlfriend Carly (Ashley Judd) for almost revealing to her daughter that there is no such thing as the Tooth Fairy, the hulking athlete gets a highly unusual punishment – he’s transported to Fairyland where no-nonsense matriarch Lily (Julie Andrews) sentences him to two weeks as a Tooth Fairy. An officious administrative fairy named Tracy (Stephen Merchant) is assigned to make sure Derek serves his sentence to the letter. Armed with his Wand (with All-Purpose Magic Generator Button), Invisibility Spray, Shrinking Paste, Dog Bark Mints, ‘Cat-Away’ and Amnesia Dust, Derek becomes the most unlikely tooth fairy ever…

It is really hard to believe that Tooth Fairy is made by Walden Media. To date the production company has prided itself on making family films that are more sophisticated and original than the norm but here it just seems like they have sold out. While this film has a good message at its heart, it is lumbered with a weak script, the plot essentially being a rip off of the superior kids flick The Santa Clause (the first one, not the mediocre sequels, which were incidentally from the same director as this film) and its tale of redemption being predictable and obvious. These things wouldn’t be a problem if the film at least scored big in the laugh out loud department but, unless you are a very undemanding viewer, you will find laughs to be few and far between, the dialogue being weak and the gags lame. Only a few things raise any giggles here, the funniest scene probably being one that features during the closing credits, and the sight of Dwayne Johnson sporting a tutu and fairy wings raising a few titters. The problem is that the film just seems stupid at times and so-so effects do little to change this. The only thing that prevents the film from being completely abysmal are the scenes with Stephen Merchant, who provides the film’s few glimpses of genuine humour but even these are hardly laugh out loud moments. Dwayne Johnson’s performance is packed full of his usual energy and charisma and he is extremely game for the many humiliating situations he has to endure throughout the duration of the film but he really has next to nothing to work with and the supporting cast do little to help matters. The likes of Julie Andrews, Ashley Judd and Billy Crystal (in a small role as Jerry, the Tooth Fairy gadget guy) are completely wasted while a cameo appearance by Seth MacFarlane just seems bizarre. So, Tooth Fairy is just one family film too far for Dwayne Johnson. It may keep undemanding youngsters mildly amused but anyone else will just be bemused as to why Johnson would do such a film as this. There is nothing magical about this fairy.

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Review by Robert Mann BA (Hons)

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