MOVIE REVIEW: TOOTH FAIRY

TOOTH FAIRY (English/PG13)

Genre: Comedy/Family
Release Date: 21 January 2010
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Running Time: 103 mins.
Director: Michael Lembeck
Producers: Jim Piddock, Jason Blum, Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray
Writer: Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, Randi Mayem Singer, Joshua Sternin, Jeffrey Ventimillia
Casts: Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Julia Andrews, Billy Crystal, Brandon T Jackson
Plot: Dwayne Johnson is "The Tooth Fairy," also known as Derek Thompson, a hard-charging minor league hockey player whose nickname comes from his habit of separating opposing players from their bicuspids. When Derek discourages a youngster's hopes, he's sentenced to one week's hard labour as a real tooth fairy, complete with the requisite wings, magic wand. At first, Derek can't handle the tooth - bumbling and stumbling as he tries to secretly wing his way through strangers' home doing what tooth fairies do. But as Derek slowly adapts to his new position, he begins to rediscover his own forgotten dreams.

THE VERDICT

The whole concept of whether I believe it or not is just like one of those we have been told about the Santa Claus. Both Santa Claus and Tooth Fairy will only exists when we believe in them. Not the quite when you have a tough guy like Dwayne Johnson becomes a tooth fairy. Too sissy just like when he wore the tutu skirt but the film failed to feature a more logical and fun experience about the nature of a tooth fairy. Instead, the plot lingers around the pain of been one for the most of the time.

Dwayne Johnson plays Derek Thompson, a minor-league hockey player who has a habit of crushing into opposing players and detaching their tooth, thus was dubbed as 'The Tooth Fairy". He is also on a blooming relationship with Carly (Ashley Judd) and her two kids with the exception of the emo Randy. However, things got to worst when he was summoned and assigned to work as a Tooth Fairy because of his charges of killing dreams. There goes his journey as a tooth fairy until he learns his lessons well.

The plot itself is written flat. The tones are a bit shabby and it does not have a good balance of ups and downs presented here. Well, if you have not already know, the films muscled in five different script writers and the clash between the titans are so obvious. There is no continuity or polished scenes that really gel to each others.

The script is of course silly, to cater the need for expanding the film to the extensive family couch. But the silliness couple with some non-sense can be very annoying. Take for example of killing the fairy tale. Telling your children that the fairy tale does not exists is not as traumatize at all anyway. Well, saying that fairy tale does exist is a form of lie! Then how much can you relate "What If" with the truth? But the film taught us how to lie to the kids beautifully by saying "What If Fairy Tale Doesn't Exists?" and you will pretty much escaped the summons.

The typical role for Dwayne Johnson these days are family-oriented and oh boy, how I missed him in an action flick. The problem is not about the choice or genre, like The Race to Witch Mountain, Johnson tried so hard to charm us in full force, which he did but the dialogs are not so funny and it did not blend well. I have to say, Julie Andrews' performances are quite memorable as always while Stephen Merchant's comedic relief works.

If you want some action and comedy, you got one here. But as far as the quality of the screenplay can be seen, it falls flat and did not reflect the real messages of dream catcher. The tone is dull but overall perception is still acceptable.