TOOTH FAIRY
US, 2009, 102 minutes, Colour.
Dwayne Johnson, Julie Andrews, Ashley Judd, Stephen Merchant, Seth Mc Farlane, Billy Crystal, Chase Ellison.
Directed by Michael Lembeck.
In a competition for co-stars that you would not be likely to see on screen, Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson and Julie Andrews might be considered a way out juxtaposition of opposites! But here they are!!
Actually, this is quite a pleasing family film which is not too demanding, has some funny lines for the adults, and has a niceness about it which is aimed at getting rid of the not-niceness in life.
Dwayne Johnson plays Derek Thompson, an ice hockey star who is over the hill but still playing because of his capacity to knock opponents over and knock out their teeth, 'the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth'. But he is in love with a mother of two (Ashley Judd) and is trying to get on with her children. When he tells the six year old daughter, who has put a tooth under her pillow, that the tooth fairy does not exist, he is ousted by the mother and finds a summons to fairyland under his pillow to answer the charge of promoting disbelief. And who is in charge? A senior Mary Poppinsish type herself who brooks no interruption and makes Derek spend two weeks on tooth fairy duty, on call at any moment.
The assistant, Tracey, a taller than lanky Brit, is played by Ricky Gervais' co-writer of The Office, Stephen Merchant, and Billy Crystal is on hand for a few amusing scenes.
Of course, what you expect will happen does happen – would you want to watch it if it didn't!
Dwayne Johnson has shown a very genial spirit in many films and does not hesitate to send himself up – sprouting large fairy wings here and appearing in a pink tutu until fairyland wardrobe fixes him up in a pale blue fairy suit. He does all the right things by his hockey team, by his girlfriend and, especially by the children. And it is a pleasure to see Julie Andrews doing her thing and then letting off steam in a final credits hockey match sequence.
1. A pleasant comedy and fantasy? The children’s audiences? Adults?
2. The cast, the pairing of Dwayne Johnson and Julie Andrews?
3. The American town, ordinary, the home of the single mother, dealing with her children, the sports atmosphere?
4. The fantasy sequences, the comic touches, parody? The musical score?
5. The title, Derek Thompson, Dwayne Johnson screen persona? A pleasant man, tough in sport, knocking opponents’ teeth out? His friendship with Carly, with the children? The tooth story and his denial of the fairies? His penalty? Going into the fantasyland, getting wings, wearing the tutu, his blue suit? The lectures from Lily? His working with Tracy, helping him to get his wings? The various duties with the children and the teeth, reforming, playing better, a good sport, reconciling with Randy? His achievement? To marry Carly?
6. Carly, as a single mother, the two children, the boy and a girl, their ages, difficulties at home? The girl and the issue of the tooth and the tooth fairy? The boy, playing his guitar? Derek helping him? The blow up, Carly breaking off the relationship?
7. Lily, Julie Andrews, the Mary Poppins touch, comedy? Stephen Merchant as Tracy? Lanky, wanting to get his wings? Derek helping him? Billy Crystal and the comedy with his being the gadget master?
8. The sports background, the team, the players, action in the field? Derek and his dealing with the whizzkid?
9. Derek and his going about doing good as the tooth fairy?
10. The American happy ending?
