TMG Scale 6.0 — on the adult scale. My young nieces gave it an 8.0
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews
This is billed as a family film. It is. But don’t take a little one who still believes in the Tooth Fairy. Just seeing Dwayne Johnson in a dress and wings may challenge their comfort level and sanity in all things. I am not knocking the creator or writers here. Selling John Travolta as the fat, chain smoking, winged angel in Michael was a pure work of genius. Just don’t get your expectations quite that high.
Johnson is washed up hockey player better known for knocking out teeth on the ice. He is offered redemption after disrespecting a “real” tooth fairy offering to his girlfriend’s (played by Ashley Judd) young daughter. One problem is that Johnson’s character is a bit of a jerk and hard to tell at times whether he is being good for the sake of the kids, or just to get back in the sack with Ashley Judd. One cannot explain silly little films like this much more than that. TMG could sit through it and laugh a bit. Mostly I just enjoyed my two giggling nieces curled up on my home theatre sofa eating popcorn and lots of other junk food we mutually agreed not to inform their their mother about.
At least two things made this film easier for an adult to enjoy. One was the oddball tooth fairy “trainer” played by Stephen Merchant. Merchant is quirky and funny though described by Johnson accurately as “skinny stick with the eyes of a tuna” or to that effect. Merchant’s character was the magic that kept the story line and underlying message together. The other was the amazing grace and sheer beauty of the head Tooth Fairy played by Julie Andrews. Dame Julie at 75 years old is still a babe and as appealing as she was as Mary Poppins.
TMG does not take the time to see many “kid flicks” these days. I had to endure such punishment as Pokemon: The Power of One and Muppet Treasure Island with my kids. The Geneva Convention somehow does not even address that insane form of human torture. While Tooth Fairy was no E.T. by a lightyear and could not hold a candle to classics of its genre (non animated, make believe) like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, it was a reasonable effort. Personally, TMG would rather watch Dwayne (“The Rock”) Johnson in a Walking Tall Part XXII, but I had fun with my nieces, Sydney and Allison and watching him stretch his comedic wings a bit. Though the quantity of Cheez-its, Coca Cola and M&M’s helped a bit. (TMG’s own shameless product placement search for advertising dollars!)