DVD Reviews

Toothy Fairy – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll May 4, 2010, 17:06 GMT

$Dwayne Johnson stars as Derek Thompson, one of the toughest hockey players around - until he\'s sentenced to one week\'s hard labor as the world\'s most unlikely tooth fairy! Even though he must sport frilly wings and learn the magical tricks of the trade from his silver-winged superiors (Julie Andrews and Billy Crystal), Derek\'s determined to do the job HIS way and prove he\'s got what it takes!Also includes the Tooth$

Dwayne Johnson stars as Derek Thompson, one of the toughest hockey players around - until he\'s sentenced to one week\'s hard labor as the world\'s most unlikely tooth fairy! Even though he must sport frilly wings and learn the magical tricks of the trade from his silver-winged superiors (Julie Andrews and Billy Crystal), Derek\'s determined to do the job HIS way and prove he\'s got what it takes!Also includes the Tooth ...more

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is putting on some tights and stepping once again into the “family entertainment” ring. The results are pretty long in the tooth and those choppers are full of cavities.

Derek Thompson (Dwayne Johnson) is a hockey player dubbed the “Tooth Fairy.” His defensive hits usually end with the recipient being missing a few teeth. After one of the games he goes over to his girlfriend Carly’s (Ashley Judd) house to baby-sit her daughter Tess (Destiny Whitlock) and son Randy (Chase Ellison).

Before leaving Carly instructs Derek that since Tess has lost a tooth that money should be put under her pillow after she does to bed. After the kids are put away, Derek’s hockey buddies come over and a poker game ensues. When he’s short of a little cash he decides to borrow the money under Tess’ pillow.

When Carly comes back home she awakens Tess who starts searching for her tooth fairy money. When she can’t find it, Derek is about to tell her the truth about the tooth fairy when Carly grabs some money out of her purse, feigns finding it on the floor, and stops Derek from spilling the beans.

When Derek goes back to his apartment his slumber is interrupted by a glowing summons under his pillow. He’s magically transported to the land of fairies. He meets his caseworker Tracey (Stephen Merchant) who takes him to the head fairy (Julie Andrews). He’s given a two week sentence of being a tooth fairy for being a dream crusher.

He’s outfitted with some tooth fairy gear by Jerry (Billy Crystal) and put on call that whenever a kiddo loses a tooth that he’s to retrieve it.

Dwayne Johnson may be trying to steal Eddie Murphy’s late career - though why anybody would want it I don’t know. Whatever the case, the wrestler has moved from action films and into family fare. Guess there’s some money to be made there. However, to me the film was about as fun as a root canal or getting a tooth pulled [insert rimshot here].

My kids, on the other hand, ate the flick up like nitrous oxide. They were happily giggling away as the flick rolled on. I just found it lacking, maybe not as painful as oral surgery, but I would’ve rather have been watching Doctor Zhivago.

Johnson is a charming enough fellow, but the conceit of seeing him in a fairy get up is not as funny as it should be. Perhaps even sadder is that Julie Andrews, still looking charming mind you, is there also. The biggest shock was that Billy Crystal chose this film to show up in after being away for a short time.

Maybe he thought nobody would see it or more than likely it was a favor to writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. There are three other names on that writers list with them so I think it may be a case of too many chefs spoil the supper. The supper, in this case, is full of sugar and sure to give you a cavity.

Tooth Fairy is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced by 16x9 televisions. Special features include the 20 minute “Tooth Fairy Training Center” showing how to do the job, the 4 minute “Fairyoke” that has Tracy and Derek crooning… badly, the 2 minute trailer, and sneak peeks at other Fox films.

The shorter you are the more you’ll get out of it or if you’re a Johnson fan. I can’t say that it hurt me much, but I can say that there were films I would’ve rather have been watching. The kids liked it though, and that dynamic will probably be repeated in your house.