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The
Tooth Fairy (editor's
note: Matt Sameck actually reviewed this upon its release,
filed the review, but it never got uploaded due to my mistake.
So NOW, upon its DVD release, the time is right to try again.)
You've
got to hand it to Dwayne Johnson. No other wrestler in memory
has managed to parlay a hugely successful pro wrestling
job into what could be considered at least a solid B-list
movie career. (And I mean that as a compliment.)
Either
by making interesting choices (Southland Tales),
or through sheer force of charisma (The Rundown, The
Race to Witch Mountain) he's managed to make a small
stable of movies that are at least not horrible. The new
family vehicle The Tooth Fairy continues Johnson's
streak in that it leans on his charisma to create a movie
that's barely watchable, but exceedingly forgettable.
The Tooth Fairy follows minor-league hockey player
Derek Thompson (Dwayne Johnson), who has been nicknamed
"The Tooth Fairy" for his proclivity to knock
around players from the other team instead of trying to
score. After discouraging the dreams of a young fan and
nearly telling his girlfriend's daughter that there is no
actual tooth fairy, he's sentenced by a fairy godmother
of sorts (Julie Andrews) to serve as a tooth fairy for two
weeks under the supervision of wingless fairy caseworker,
Tracy (Stephen Merchant, or the tallest, goofiest looking
brit ever), so he can learn a lesson about the importance
of dreams. (Somehow.)
There's no getting around the fact that The Tooth Fairy
is a broad and kid-centered comedy that uses very familiar
jokes. After all, there's only so much merit you can give
to any movie that attempts to milk the comic value of putting
"The Rock" in a tutu and fairy wings and then
rocketing tennis balls at him while he dangles in the air
a few scenes later. (I mean, that's funny, right? Right?)
There's not anything new about the plot or the script except
that Dwayne Johnson is the one going through the motions
this time as opposed to anyone else.
Johnson's work is a double-edged sword of sorts for this
movie. On one hand, he's working overtime to use his charm
to keep the overused kiddie material afloat. On the other
hand, he's obviously working overtime to keep the overused
kiddie material afloat. Despite how well he can play the
heel-with-a-heart-of-gold role, the fact is he's dancing
the overused corpse of a old joke across the screen. It
may be a little amusing, but it's mostly sad.
Though the film uses the conceit of landing Derek Thompson
in fairy-land to stampede the familiar territory of following
your dreams, the plot seems to have no direct connection
to the movie's theme. However, the movie is effective if
you're susceptible to its charms. Even if Thompson's sentence
in fairy land ends up having no apparent bearing on the
moral lesson he is to learn, that doesn't keep the movie
from effectively playing on your emotions in ways that are
typical for the "hold on to your dreams" movie
trope. I guarantee that you won't want to crush anyone's
unrealistic dreams and expectations for at least two hours
afterwards.
The movie has some interesting cameo appearances. Billy
Crystal appears as Jerry, a fairy combination of Miracle
Max and Q who has a strange penchant for the using word
"dude" and abusing amnesia dust. While his appearance
is extremely light, it does give you a reminder of how funny
Crystal is capable of being when he wants to be. Seth McFarlane
also makes a brief appearance as a black-market fairy supplies
dealer and shows his continued ability to be effortlessly
sleazy despite his boyish looks.
One of my tests for kids' movies is whether you could watch
the movie everyday and not become annoyed quickly. In that
respect The Tooth Fairy definitely fails. Dwayne
Johnson works hard to make the movie watchable, but his
efforts are obvious and one-note. The movie is tired, predictable,
well worn, and filled with kiddie humor, but it is effective
at what it sets out to do, even if that goal is ridiculously
tepid. It's stupid, but it's easily-forgotten Disney-class
stupid, which isn't quite as bad.
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