Movie Review Tooth Fairy

Pity the poor film critic. He resents having to sit through kid movies. They make him bitter. He'd much rather be watching some monochromatic film in Romanian in which nothing happens except a badger becomes the symbol for the desperate tragedy of life.

But not me. I don't even like badgers.

And that is why I thoroughly enjoyed Tooth Fairy.

The artist formerly known as The Rock, aka Dwayne Johnson, plays Derek, a washed-up hockey star nicknamed The Tooth Fairy. The moniker comes from his grisly habit of knocking out other players' teeth in illegal body checks. He's bitter about being bumped to the minor leagues. Not quite film critic bitter, but still pretty bitter. He spends his off-ice time with his girlfriend (Ashley Judd) and  her children with whom Derek is expected to bond.

It doesn't go well.

Derek's disappointments in life make him all too willing to crush young dreams. Summoned to the court of fairyland for the Dissention of Disbelief, Derek is sentenced to serve as a tooth fairy. He's fixed up with some wings, shrinking paste, cat repellent, and off he goes to purloin some pearly whites.

Fairyland is run along the lines of a large corporation. Fairies loiter in the break room, compete for promotions, and fidget in their own version of fairy DMV.

We've seen the concept - behind the scenes in fantasy worlds - in Monsters, Inc, Enchanted, and Shrek, so it's hardly new. Kids don't care. Hoity-toity film critics care. They want cutting edge. Kids just want to laugh.

Laugh they will. The movie works largely due to good casting. Julie Andrews makes an excellent, if stern, fairy administrator. Stephen Merchant, from the BBC version of The Office, plays a tall, stringy, wingless fairy with aspirations of greatness. His offhanded and bantering performance elevates the film to, if not greatness, at least enjoyability. Billy Crystal reprises his "The Princess Bride" role as a provider of fairy gadgets and an elderly crank. 

It's all good fun and parents will find themselves laughing along with the kiddos. Not at barbed references or dirty gags designed to go over kids' heads. There's none of that here. Just fun banter and clever gags such as the saffron-robed, saffron-winged "fairy krishnas" that pass through a scene.

It all ties up with a nice change in Derek and a dare to chase your passions message.

And parents, in case you were wondering, apparently the tooth fairy's going rate is a dollar per tooth, tightly rolled. The market is strong although supply never seems to be an issue. No word, however, on that eternal mystery: what does she do with all those teeth?

This film is from Walden Media. Michael Flaherty, co-founder and president of Walden Media, is a contributor and board member of SixSeeds, but is not involved in the film criticism side of SixSeeds.