The Home of Steven Barnes
Author, Teacher, Screenwriter


Sunday, January 24, 2010

The Tooth Fairy (2010)

I actually liked this movie. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays a hockey player nicknamed "The Tooth Fairy." Ashley Judd plays his girlfriend, who has a couple of adorable kids Dwayne must charm to win her. The problem is that he is sour and egotistical, so the obvious arc is finding a way to open his heart. Dwayne makes the mistake of telling Judd's daughter that there is no Tooth Fairy (his own nickname...'cause he slams opponents and knocks out their...well, you get it.) And this brings him to the attention of the head Fairy herself, played impeccably by Julie Andrews. As punishment for robbing children of their fantasies, he is sentenced to two weeks of being an actual tooth fairy. And then, as they say, the fun begins.
The truth is that no, I didn't find it offensive in the slightest to see Johnson prancing around in tights. Possibly because he looks so damned good in them. Partially because I am so aware of the delicate dance Hollywood has to do in certain cultural ways, and can appreciate the fancy footwork necessary to make someone like Johnson non-threatening. He is so utterly masculine that the joke isn't on him at all. I could sit back, munch popcorn, and watch the familiar Disney-style beats unfold. Cute kids, check. Animal jokes, check. Change of heart, check. Family-friendly sensuality, check. Kid who needs a father, check. Rousing sports scene with magical tinge, check. Finding out where Mary Poppins retired, check. Closing scene with large audience applauding, check.
And check your brain at the door. And borrow a six year old to watch it with. I had a great time.
Wish that footwork wasn't necessary, but since it is, I could do worse than this. I give it a solid "B."

3 comments:

renantech said...

Tooth Fairy got 3rd while Avatar are still on the top and breaks the record of Titanic for the Best Seller movie internationally. Visit Sikat ang Pinoy

buy cialis said...

The film was released on January 22, 2010 and opened in 3,334 theaters and took in $3,544,512 its opening day, I Think that this is one of the best things in the world!

Ed Mcgoldrick said...

The Rock in a family movie, huh. The millions and millions of The Rock's fans want to see him more in action movies, but this one's kinda okay, too. At least the kids will know that the tooth fairy can be a guy, too. Haha!