Film Reviews

Tooth Fairy

• Rating:
• Director: Michael Lembeck
• Starring: Dwayne Johnson
• Details: USA/Canada/101 mins (PG)

What the hell is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson doing? Not many actors have his physicality, grasp of comic timing and genuine charisma, and yet he's continually treading the paddling pool of overtly kiddie fluff, such as this predictably lame affair. Say what you will about the youngsters, and how this film is made for them, but Johnson's name was put on the posters to pull in the Dad's familiar with his WWE persona and action background. And for them, this will be akin to a broken remote control and a Sex and the City marathon - except with The Rock in a tu-tu.
Johnson is a minor league ice hockey player nicknamed The Tooth Fairy, because of his not unimpressive ability to remove the canines from his opponents with a single tackle. Once a star, he's now seemingly past his sell by date, and must attempt to mentor a new hot-shot player, who shows his elder no respect. He's also dating Ashley Judd's single mom, and making minimal effort with her offspring. When he almost spills to her youngest about "the truth" behind the tooth fairy after she loses one of her delf, he is called upon by the hierarchy of actual fairies who have taken none too kindly to his derogatory comments. Instead of suing, they make him don the wings for two weeks instead - with lessons learnt ensuing.
Undeniably sweet, it's also wildly mediocre and is essentially The Santa Clause with a different fabled bringer of gifts, or - in this case - cold, hard cash. Johnson is apparently attempting to mimic the career of former fellow wrestling superstar Hulk Hogan, which, looking at Hogan's stop/start reality TV career, is by no means a good thing - Mr Nanny anyone? During his scuffling-in-tights days, The Artist Formally Known as The Rock was perhaps even more effective with his acerbic put-downs than his body-slamming, yet very few directors have utilised this on celluloid - Peter Berg in Welcome to the Jungle is the only one that springs to mind.
As a movie aimed firmly at the toddlers, I suppose The Tooth Fairy is passable; then again, so is throwing on the latest DVD of whatever minimum waged actor is wearing the giant dinosaur costume this week. Is it worth renting to keep them quiet? Probably. Although, with Shrek 4 and Toy Story 3 making their way to a multiplex near you in inordinately priced 3D, I'd hold off before making this particular family excursion a treat for all.

Review by Mike Sheridan