TOOTH FAIRY

TOOTH FAIRY

"Tooth Fairy" is not nearly as bad as it could be. That said, it isn't very good either.

I do find it amazing that a film that has been in development for 17 years and had a team of 6 writers to pen it is no better. There is truly something wrong with that picture.

It is my understanding that Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally considered for the part but decided to be governor of California instead. Goo decision!

So director Michael Lambert chose Dwayne "The Wrestler Formerly Known as Rock" Johnson to fill the lead role as Derek. Derek is a aging hockey player whose nick name is... the Tooth Fairy.

He got the monicker, not for putting money under pillows, but for his penchant for knocking teeth out due to rough play.

He's dating a gal named Carly (Ashely Judd) who has two children - Tess (Destiny Whitlock) and Randy (Chase Ellison) - both of whom he has trouble dealing with.

It is after he tells Tess there is no tooth fairy - after grabbing the money from under her illow to use for gambling - that he his thrown into a Scroogian state of being.

He is whisked away to Fairy Land where he faces Lily (Julie Andrews) the tooth fairy grand administrator. She floats down ala Mary Poppins, rules like she's from "The Devil Wears Prada" and sentences him to a couple of weeks hard labor as a tooth fairy.

He is teamed with Tracy (Stephen Merchant) who is his wingless mentor. In fact he sems to have a bit of wing envy as he tosses out quip after quip about his lack of wings.

Thrown into the mix is Billy Crystal as a Q-like [James Bond] supplier of tools and Seth Macfarlane as Ziggy - a werd kind of pusher man offering black market "fairy gadgets".

After all the mishmash, the story moves on as he fulfills the tooth fairy job of putting money under pillows and changing his ways.

U - huh!

The kids may like it; adults will acknowledge the tosses to older films. And Johnson will be good to go as he continues to pursue the kiddie flick roles. --GEOFFREY BURTON

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