The Film
Here's the pitch: A former wrestler dons a tutu, a pair of wings and is forced to take over the duties of the Tooth Fairy. It's funny, right? To someone in Hollywood, apparently.
That's basically the plot of Tooth Fairy. No -- really! Family-friendly Dwayne "[Trying to Drop] The Rock" Johnson stars as Derek Thompson, hime self a former wrestler, but here in the film a hockey player who moonlights as The Tooth Fairy. See where this is going?
Right from the start, the movie has problems. First, Derek is not exactly one of the Hanson Brothers. He's more like, well, Dwayne Johnson. He's smiley and says things like, "You can't handle the tooth." Again, really.
So apparently, The Rock ran over God's dog or Vince McMahon's foot or something. It's not that the guy has a stellar movie career, but he is likeable. That's part of the problem.
Another problem is that the film is just hokey, and we're not even talking about the fairy part. Derek is involved with single-mom Carly (Ashley Judd), who has two kids. He's there for them, then he isn't, then he learns to love; it's sappy and stereotypical.
Tooth Fairy isn't as bad as having one of your pearly whites pulled, but it could have been better. It should also be noted that the film features regular Ricky Gervais collaborator Stephen Merchant, as well as Billy Crystal, Julie Andrews, and a cameo by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.
The Picture
Like a pair of freshly bleached choppers, this 1.85:1 transfer sparkles pretty well. Fleshtones are superb, especially when getting a nice close-up of The Rock's ripped, tanned body. Either the guy is jacked or this is a good transfer, because his muscles ripple! That said, for a movie about fairies, the color palette doesn't pop all that much. However, both the colors and black levels are rich and accurate. The special effects stink, but detail is good overall, especially in close-ups.
The Sound
The film opens in a roar of hockey action, which makes very good use of the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Aside from the moments on the ice, there are a few ambient noises and the dialogue comes through well. It seems like there could have been a little more during flying scenes or even during the Tooth Fairy's rounds. However, much of the film is drowned out by George S. Clinton's heavy, loud soundtrack.
The Extras
Talk about family-friendly! Director Michael Lembeck provides a 22-second intro to the extras, inviting you to sit down, grab a snack, and well, watch the extras. Aside from that friendly greeting, everything here is a mixed bag. There's 39 minutes of making-of material and another 20 minutes for the "Tooth Fairy Training Center," which mixes clips from the movie and a workout for the kiddies. The rest is a bunch of trailers, bloopers and deleted scenes, including "Fairyoke," which is nothing more than another deleted scene, with lyrics to follow. Other features include auto resume on the Blu-ray, as well as standard-def DVD and digital copy discs.
Final Thoughts
Those still willing to believe will probably see some good in Tooth Fairy. For everyone else, it sort of depends on your threshold for pain. Overall, a nice image made the Tooth manageable. The family and overdone plot was the part we couldn't handle.
Product Details
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