"THE TOOTH FAIRY" (2010) (Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd) (PG)
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QUICK TAKE:
Comedy: After routinely dashing the hopes and dreams of kids, including his girlfriend's young daughter, a former hockey great finds himself summoned for a secret, two-week sentence of working as the Tooth Fairy.
PLOT:
Derek Thompson (DWAYNE JOHNSON) was once a great, professional hockey player. But a shoulder injury sent him to the minor leagues where he lost his on the ice mojo. Now playing for the Lansing Ice Wolves, Derek hasn't taken a shot on goal in nine years and isn't pleased about falling into the shadow of young upstart Mick Donnelly (RYAN SHECKLER). But he has proudly racked up more penalty box time than any other player, mainly due to his teeth-popping body hits that have earned him the nickname "The Tooth Fairy."
While he enjoys the attention that brings, he knows full well the fleeting nature of fame. Accordingly, he often dashes the dreams and aspirations of young people with a bitter reality check. Despite that and his self-centered nature, he's managed to attract a pretty single mom, Carly Harris (ASHLEY JUDD), as his girlfriend, and gets along well with her 6-year-old daughter, Tess (DESTINY GRACE WHITLOCK). Things are more strained, however, with her older guitar-playing brother, Randy (CHASE ELLISON), who wants nothing to do with him.
Due to squashing kids' dreams and nearly informing Tess that the Tooth Fairy doesn't exist after she loses one of her teeth, Derek wakes up one morning sporting fairy wings, a woman's tutu, and a summons from the Department of Dissemination of Disbelief. He's then magically transported to fairy headquarters where he meets leader Lily (JULIE ANDREWS) who's assigned Tracy (STEPHEN MERCHANT) as Derek's non-flying caseworker/instructor. Meanwhile, fairy Jerry (BILLY CRYSTAL) supplies the disbelieving hockey player with the tools of the trade, such as memory erasing dust, invisibility potion, shrinking paste, and items to deal with cats and dogs while in a miniature state.
Derek then learns that he must serve two weeks as the Tooth Fairy, summoned at any moment to sneak into a child's bedroom and leave money under their pillows in exchange for their recently removed teeth. To make matters worse, Derek can't tell anyone of his new duty, a matter that complicates both his time on the ice and his relationship with Carly and her kids. From that point on, he begrudgingly does his thing, all while learning about himself and the rekindled notion of never giving up on one's dreams.
OUR TAKE: 4 out of 10
You have to envy youth. Beyond the boundless energy and bodies and skin that have yet to be ravaged by both time and "mileage," kids -- especially younger ones -- are a generally optimistic set. Ask most any kid what they want to be when they grow up and the possibilities are pretty much endless, while many are at the age where Santa, the Easter Bunny and even the Tooth Fairy are still mysterious but welcome figures in their lives (who come and go in the middle of the night and leave them goodies).
As time marches on, however, those characters are the first to disappear, slowly followed by many of those dreams and aspirations. That's especially true once the realities and disappointments of life set in and then pile up, leading to what Thoreau called people leading lives of quiet desperation. It isn't until many years later that they experience midlife crises and/or simply reassess their lives and wonder where they went wrong and then try to reclaim one or more elements of their childhood experience.
For Derek Thompson, that choice isn't voluntary, but rather forced on him. Once a pro hockey player, he's now in the minor leagues and -- based on his own disappointments in life -- isn't above dashing the dreams of the young via a blunt dose of a reality check. One time too many of that, however, results in him being served a summons (from the Department of Dissemination of Disbelief) to report for tooth fairy duty, a stint that no doubt will naturally result in him becoming a better man. That is, after bucking and trying to beat the system.
That's the gist of "The Tooth Fairy," a predictable, generic and broadly played yet accessible comedy that most critics will likely savage but should play fairly well with families of younger kids who are looking for mostly harmless cinematic entertainment. I'm guessing young Dwayne Johnson, later known as "The Rock" in his professional wrestling days, probably never dreamed or hoped he'd one day grow up to play the Tooth Fairy, complete with wings and a pretty tutu.
Granted, the latter is quickly replaced by a less effeminate and then later rugged outfit, but here the wrestler turned actor appears, and that physical and visual dichotomy is present to generate part of the film's intended laughs. That, the fish out of water scenario (Derek finding himself in a strange new world with its own rules, etc.), the complication that he can't let anyone know of his new duties, the fact that he can be called away at a moment's notice, and the presence of more puns than one can shake a fairy wand at means the package should entertain younger kids as well as any adults in tow who possess any degree of patience and non-demanding movie requirements.
I chuckled a few times at the various gags and a few lines of dialogue here and there, but let's be honest -- there's little if any sophisticated comedy present, although a few of the supporting performers have some fun with and make the best of the material presented to them. In its basic plot structure, the film -- directed by Michael Lembeck from a script by the scribe quintet of Lowell Ganz & Babaloo Mandel and Joshua Sternin & Jeffrey Ventimilia and Randi Mayem Singer -- is fairly similar to "The Santa Clause."
Both feature likeable but basically unhappy, middle-aged men who are unexpectedly thrust into playing the role of childhood imaginary characters. Initially reluctant to go along with that, and clashing with those who try to instruct and help them with their duties, they eventually embrace their roles and thus strengthen their bonds with the kids in their lives while becoming better men themselves.
Accordingly, there are few surprises in store for viewers who saw that 1994 Tim Allen flick or any others of a similar ilk. Performances are generally okay considering what's been written for them, with Johnson bringing his ample charm to the screen once again, although he's undermined by his character alternating between the usual (and rote) good guy and jerk attributes. Ashley Judd is relegated to the standard mom role, Destiny Grace Whitlock is the cute little girl, and Chase Ellison embodies the standard surly teen.
Julie Andrews brings a certain dignity to her authority figure character, while Billy Crystal has fun as a fairyland equivalent to the gadget guru of James Bond's M character. It's British comedian Stephen Merchant, however, who steals every scene as the lanky and goofy caseworker assigned to handle and instruct his unhappily assigned charge. With an infectious exuberance and sly wit, the character is quite entertaining and brightens the offering whenever he appears.
Even so, the film is really only suitable for kids who still believe in the title character or have recently graduated from that belief class and will now enjoy mocking just that with this behind the scenes look. For everyone else, a heaping of patience, tolerance and a willingness to accept a bevy of puns and goofy comedy will be needed to keep this from being the cinematic equivalent of having a molar extracted. Bring on the Novocain. "The Tooth Fairy" rates as a 4 out of 10.
Reviewed January 19, 2010 / Posted January 22, 2010
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