1/22/10

Tooth Fairy

Dwayne Johnson ("The Game Plan") has done this movie before: you know… the successful sports figure (this time ice hockey) with lots of devoted fans; he's conceited, cynical and—we can tell—overripe for a dose of reality. Which in this case, strikes in the guise of a Tooth Fairy Facilitator, ably portrayed by Stephen Merchant ("The Invention of Lying"), who is charged by the Head Tooth Fairy (Julie Andrews) to make our hero less cynical and more caring. Johnson must serve for a week as a tooth fairy, with his sentence automatically extended if he fails to do the job.

The object of Johnson's affection is played by Ashley Judd ("De-Lovely") who depicts a single mother with two children, the youngest of whom has just entered her tooth-shedding years.

We see lots of ice hockey (not very well faked), some ridiculous shots of Johnson with wings and a tutu, plus silly episodes with our guy trying to plant dollar bills under pillows and make off with teeth. Writers Babaloo Mandell and Lowell Ganz ("Parenthood") understand family dynamics and even with the predictable plot, many of the adults laughed out loud, while the children clearly enjoyed it.

An uncredited Billy Crystal ("Analyze This") makes two very funny appearances at the beginning and end of this little frolic.