The Tooth Fairy - Sweet, Fun and Cavity-Free

Dare to mock a child’s belief in tooth fairies and you could find yourself sporting a pink tutu, matching tights and a fluffy pair of wings whilst being ordered around an enchanted depot by a gangly, bespectacled Brit (Stephen Merchant) and his benevolent CEO. Such an emasculating transformation is what befalls floundering hockey star Derek Thompson (Dwayne Johnson), followed by fanciful fun, particularly for those audience members still retaining baby teeth.

Hollywood seems to have found a go-to formula for concocting fail-safe children’s entertainment: Step 1.) Choose a mythical character, Step 2.) Pick an unexpected actor to portray the extraordinary being in everyday circumstances. Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf and Tim Allen as Saint Nick himself are prime examples. This time around, the funnyman turned fairy tale legend is none other than a former wrestling star whose biceps probably really could double as twin hammers, Jack and Sledge. But don’t let the machismo fool you; Mr. Johnson (once upon a time known as The Rock) has undeniable comedic chops and doesn’t miss a beat flitting from house to house as a brawny bicuspid collector.

After sprouting angelic appendages, Derek is summoned to a sort of Fairies, Incorporated in which real-life Tinkerbells go about their important teeth-taking, greenback-giving business. As a detestable “dream killer,” Derek is sentenced to two weeks of Fairy Duty, a most inconvenient punishment for a professional athlete and devoted boyfriend. Not to worry, in a memorable scene of wit and whimsy, starring an uncredited Billy Crystal, Derek is given a utility belt filled with such clever and fairy-facilitating devices as shrinking paste, invisibility spray, dog-bark mints and last but not least, amnesia dust. But when the chief fairy, played by the toothsome Julie Andrews, confiscates his goodies, Derek must forget the frills and fairy-up.

Decked with hockey pads, helmet, skates, and newfound fairy pride, Derek takes charge, not only in gracing the pillows of the slumbering toothless, but in helping his girlfriend’s (Ashley Judd) young son realize his rock star potential, while training his sassy caseworker to be a bona fide fairy in his own right. Named for his ability to send opponents’ pearly whites up in the air and onto the ice, Derek the “Tooth Fairy”, also aims to redeem himself as a formidable member of the Ice Wolves. His mantra and the movie’s moral? “You can’t score if you don’t take a shot.” A tired theme perhaps, but I would first question the vital role of milk in a growing child’s life before I would their dreams and imagination.

3.5 stars out of 5